Kimi Antonelli has admitted that he is feeling \u201cmore prepared\u201d for the 2026 campaign, with the Italian explaining how working with a psychologist during the winter break has helped him to set goals for his sophomore season.<\/p>\n
Antonelli<\/a> experienced some highs and lows as a rookie through the 2025 championship, having started the year with several good results \u2013 which included a Sprint pole in Miami and a debut podium in Montreal \u2013 before facing a more challenging spell during the European leg.<\/p>\n An upturn in form came as the season entered its final third, with a career-best P2 in Sao Paulo and another top-three finish in Las Vegas being particular highlights.<\/p>\n Now, as he prepares for his second season in the sport, Antonelli has detailed how his approach will vary in comparison to his rookie outing.<\/p>\n \u201cI used the break to reflect on the season just gone,\u201d the 19-year-old said in an interview on Mercedes\u2019 official website<\/a>. \u201cI did a few sessions with my psychologist, we looked back and understood what went well and what went wrong in 2025, and that helped to set some goals for this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kimi of 2026 is more prepared.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at the calendar, we will try and maximise the days at home to recharge and avoid extra travelling. We want to make sure I am always at 100% energy to maximise my performance in the car.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of that will come from the cardio side, we are happy with the strength, but now we want to start working on the cardio, it will really help in those hotter races.\u201d<\/p>\n After also spending time training and switching off with family during the break, Antonelli admits that he felt ready to get back on track when the action started to resume in January.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was nice to be at home, but I really loved the build up to everything, too,\u201d he conceded. \u201cComing back to the factory, seeing the car come together, getting on track at Silverstone<\/a> and then coming to Barcelona<\/a>. It\u2019s all been really, really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n