Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished the 2025 Hungarian GP in tenth place. At the time, the Italian snapped a three-race streak without scoring points, which included two retirements. For someone fast-tracked so early into Formula 1, Kimi struggled with the European calendar and found himself in a distant seventh place in the standings. In 2026, everything changed.
Paired with the best car on the grid, Antonelli made a completely unexpected leap, surprising even the biggest enthusiasts of the Italian—those who already saw him as a rare talent and understood that his promotion was justified despite an inconsistent Formula 2 season. Clearly, the Italian adapted much better to the W17 than his teammate, George Russell. And the results speak for themselves: six wins in ten races and a 50-point lead at the top of the table.
What is Kimi’s big secret so far in 2026? The main factor has been understanding qualifying better than his teammate—an area where Russell still leaves much to be desired. That is not to mention how the Italian displays both boldness and maturity in wheel-to-wheel battles. It’s no coincidence he is already being compared to some of the greatest in history.
With 12 races left on the 2026 calendar, it is obvious that the championship picture still leaves room for rivals to mount a comeback, especially given the increased parity seen in recent races. From Barcelona onwards, there have been five different winners across three different teams in five GPs. However, it remains unlikely that anyone can put together a surge like Max Verstappen did in 2025.
UFC’s first female champion, Ronda Rousey, often cited a mantra that a fighter “doesn’t train to be the best in the world; you train to be the best in the world on your worst day.” We aren’t sure if Antonelli adopts this mindset, but something that sharply sets him apart from Oscar Piastri’s championship lead in 2025 is damage limitation on his off days.
At the Hungarian GP, for instance, Antonelli had to deal with the unprecedented scenario of driving only the third-fastest car on the grid. Yet, he took full advantage of a disastrous Sunday for Ferrari and George Russell to secure third place. On his worst performance of the year, he reached the podium and actually extended his lead over his rivals.
Granted, not everything is in Kimi’s control. Mercedes’ reliability issues had a huge impact in Catalunya and also at Silverstone, where he had a genuine shot at victory. However, those W17 mechanical failures have a minimal impact when the competition fails to fully capitalize on the opportunities handed to them.
Back in 2016, Nico Rosberg managed to break Lewis Hamilton’s dominance precisely by taking advantage of every single opening given by the Briton. Every time the driver of the #44 car had to start from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty, the German was right there to profit. In 2026, there is no Rosberg for Antonelli. At least, one hasn’t emerged yet.
What could work against the Italian? The mental aspect. However, he is a much more dominant driver than Oscar Piastri was in 2025. Furthermore, he has the team firmly behind him, something the Australian lacked at McLaren. If George Russell wants to dethrone Kimi, he will have to do it “against all odds.” If Lewis Hamilton tries, it will require a version of Ferrari that hasn’t materialized yet in 2026.
Today, Antonelli’s main opponent isn’t himself, nor is it Russell, Hamilton, or Verstappen. It’s a challenger who has yet to show up in the World Championship. And if they do, they have a 12-round countdown to stop the Italian from writing his name in the history books as the youngest F1 World Champion of all time.
Formula 1 is now on summer break. The category resumes action for the 2026 season from August 21 to 23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
