Three races into the 2026 Formula 1 season, and Kimi Antonelli is leading the Drivers' Championship during just his second year in the sport. A lot can still change in the remaining 19 races, but with Mercedes now the dominant team in F1, the Italian will likely continue breaking records.
The 19-year-old is currently the youngest driver in F1 history to win a race and the youngest ever to lead the Championship after his dominant wins at both the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prixs.
In a recent interview with Bild, Antonelli was asked about how his F1 experience has differed in his second year. Interestingly, it seems his relationship with Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is now vastly different from what it was during his rookie season.
Asked if he has a good relationship with the drivers who hold eleven Drivers' Championships between them, Antonelli replied, "Last year they were very open and helped me. But now they’ve stopped."
We don't have any additional context, but it could be that they didn't want to be seen to patronise the teenager now he's in his second year as a Mercedes driver and on the road to his own Championship glory. Verstappen, of course, is dealing with a terrible car and regulations he hates, while Ferrari is Mercedes' closest rival so far in 2026.
Despite that, one piece of advice from Hamilton that sticks with him is, "The idea that I should always be myself and enjoy what I do in order to be fast. The pressure in this environment is so great that it’s easy to forget that."
As for whether he believes what he has to be Champion, despite his relative inexperience, Antonelli mused, "Experience is my biggest weakness compared to drivers like George [Russell], no question. You can’t buy that. But I’m confident that I’d still have a chance if the opportunity arose."
"I’ve been working towards this for many years, and my victory showed that I can beat anyone if I perform to my potential," he continued. "But to do that, I need to get the basics right. My team and I constantly remind ourselves of that."
With changes expected to be made to the regulations during this unexpected break—the U.S.'s war with Iran led to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix races being cancelled—it remains to be seen whether Mercedes' dominance will continue.
McLaren bounced back in Japan, and while Red Bull is stuck in the midfield, Ferrari is nipping at the heels of Mercedes. With that in mind, it's all to play for in the months ahead...