Kimi Antonelli believes that his experiences from his rookie season in Formula 1 have helped him to feel \u201cstronger\u201d and \u201cmore in control\u201d so far in 2026, with the Mercedes driver aiming to build on this further when the season resumes in Miami.<\/p>\n
During the opening three rounds of Antonelli<\/a>\u2019s sophomore campaign, the Italian has become the sport\u2019s youngest-ever championship leader<\/a> after claiming back-to-back victories in China and Japan, giving him a nine-point advantage over team mate George Russell<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ahead of the upcoming fourth round on calendar \u2013 the Miami Grand Prix<\/a>, taking place on the weekend of May 1-3 \u2013 Antonelli spoke to a select group of media, including F1.com, about how he has spent the April break, his goal going forward, and whether the dynamic between himself and Russell has changed since finding themselves in a potential title fight.<\/p>\n How rookie season has played \u2018massive role\u2019 in feeling \u2018more in control\u2019<\/p>\n After embarking on his maiden season in F1 with Mercedes<\/a> last year, Antonelli now has experience of most tracks on the calendar as he continues on into his second campaign.<\/p>\n As such, when asked if this has helped him to feel better prepared this time around \u2013 and if it brings confidence for the circuits where he faced some difficult weekends in 2025 \u2013 the 19-year-old answered: \u201cI think, overall, I feel stronger.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel more in control of the situation. Obviously, having done all the tracks last year, definitely it’s helping this year so far. Also, having done a race weekend also helps because I know better what to expect.<\/p>\n \u201cI know better how to move around, how to manage myself during the weekend. Definitely, the experience of last year is playing a massive role into this year so far. I just feel more relaxed, more confident. For sure, this might even help in those tracks where last year I struggled a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Antonelli admits that, with the season getting off to a \u201cbetter start than what we all anticipated and hoped for, at least on my side\u201d, the expectations are \u201cautomatically a bit different now\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I still try to keep the same mindset as I had in the previous three races,\u201d he explains. \u201cJust trying to keep focusing on what I have to do, on the goal, and just trying to put myself in the best position as possible to then achieve a great result.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I don’t want to do is, now that we’re in a good position, start to think about the final result or a long-term result. I just really want to focus on the present and how I can maximise every time I go in the car in order to get the best result, focusing on the process.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, little by little, trying to raise the bar, raise the game. Obviously, George is super strong and competitors will get closer. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, but just trying to raise the bar little by little.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Making the best\u2019 out of April break and goal for Miami<\/p>\n The F1 teams and drivers have faced a five-week break in the calendar during the month of April but Antonelli was keen to keep his focus from the start, admitting that one of the first things he did after returning home from Japan was to \u201cjump on my simulator\u201d at home.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not going to lie, the break on one side has been good, but now it starts to feel a bit too long, to be fair,\u201d the Italian explained. \u201cI just really want to go back on track.<\/p>\n