Antonelli sticks to his approach as first title chance arrives in Austin

Kimi Antonelli will not change his approach for the weekend that brings his first chance to clinch the Formula 1 world championship. Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the 20-year-old said he and race engineer Peter Bonnington had agreed to keep the mindset he had used all season: enjoy the racing, take one race at a time and focus on doing his best. He said the result would follow if he performed well.

Antonelli arrives in Austin with eight Grand Prix wins in 2026 and a 102-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell. The United States GP is his first of six match points; a title win there at age 20 would make him Formula 1’s youngest world champion.

That steadier approach contrasts sharply with his difficult 2025 rookie campaign. Antonelli struggled to produce consistent performances, and his confidence suffered as the season unravelled. Around the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix, he came close to breaking point; team principal Toto Wolff gave him tough love during a difficult spell that continued after the summer break.

An early sign of the change came at the 2026 season opener in Melbourne. After a 25G crash in final practice, Antonelli qualified second and finished second behind Russell. He said a similar setback in 2025 would probably have compromised the rest of his weekend; after a full season of Formula 1 experience, he felt better and less inclined to force things.

Antonelli said he was mentally happier in 2026 than in 2025 and had tried to enjoy the process as much as the driving. He also described learning to move on from difficult situations together as a team.

Charles Leclerc has also noticed the leap from Antonelli’s 2025 rookie season to 2026. The Ferrari driver said the 2026 cars appeared to suit Antonelli better and that his work between seasons had paid off. Leclerc described the campaign as near-perfect, while saying the only mistake he could recall had come two or three races before his Austin comments.

Antonelli described his position as incredible, but said he still needed to keep pushing: the title was not settled.