Nidhish Waghmare
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff believes Kimi Antonelli will reveal his true abilities in F1 2026. The 19-year-old Italian rookie returns for his second season, now better prepared to handle racing pressures.
Mercedes confirmed before the United States Grand Prix that Antonelli will remain with George Russell in 2026. The season will also bring major technical regulation changes, posing new challenges for teams and drivers.
Antonelli’s rookie year showed a mix of strong performances and tough moments. He started the season well, struggled during the European races, but rebounded with a fourth-place finish in Baku, fifth in Singapore, and sixth in Mexico.
Wolff Confident Antonelli Will Take the Next Step
“Kimi has a long-term future,” Wolff said after confirming Antonelli’s seat for 2026. “I think it’s very tricky to come into this generation of cars without having driven them against all of the guys that know ground effect cars. Next year’s a reset. He now knows all the tracks, he knows about the media pressure and how to work within the team, so we’re going to see the real Kimi next year.”
When asked if Antonelli could become a future World Champion, Wolff answered, “Yeah, absolutely.”
Mercedes Seeks Greater Consistency Amid Regulation Changes
The team has also faced unpredictable car performance across tracks in 2025. Wolff explained, “It’s so difficult to find correlation between the simulator and the wind tunnel, then you come to a track and it’s all different. We didn’t expect to be that competitive in Singapore [where Russell won], but we have been… It’s a bit of a surprise box with the regulations, and all the front-running teams seem to suffer from correlation issues.”
With experience gained and new regulations arriving in 2026, Antonelli is expected to grow as a driver and play a key role for Mercedes’ future success.
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