Andrea Kimi Antonelli is assured that Components 1’s extra inexperienced drivers will profit from the 2026 regulation overhaul because of the must adapt.
F1 guarantees to look completely completely different this 12 months with modifications to each the chassis, lighter by 32kg plus much less downforce, and engine, extra reliant on electrical energy, after 4 years of floor impact automobiles.
There was huge speak about how drivers will due to this fact must adapt their type on account of energetic aerodynamics and vitality administration enjoying an even bigger function, with some claiming that the 2026 automobiles go towards every thing they have been taught in karting.
However the youthful drivers, like those that have solely been in F1 since final 12 months, might profit from this overhaul as a result of they’re already used to always altering automobiles and don’t actually have one distinct type of racing to fall again on.
Antonelli is a type of, having been fast-tracked to F1 by by no means contesting a couple of season of a junior championship earlier than making his Mercedes grand prix debut on the age of 18.
“For all of the rookies that joined F1 final 12 months, coming into this 12 months with a brand new automotive is sort of good, as a result of clearly we have been used to drive a special automotive yearly,” mentioned the Italian teen.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes W17
Photograph by: Mercedes AMG
“So we have been used to attempt to adapt as rapidly as potential to a brand new automotive. So in fact on that facet, it is good that we’ve got a brand new automotive this 12 months, as a result of it is a reset for everybody. Particularly for us, that we have been used to yearly to a brand new automotive, it is good as a result of we have been used to that. Possibly it would assist us out to grasp the automotive a bit faster than others.”
The Mercedes driver due to this fact thinks it ranges the enjoying area as all people has to start out from scratch, versus final season the place he got here in at maybe a drawback to others.
“It is a large rule change and it sort of resets every thing as a result of everybody has to relearn the automotive,” he added. “So on that facet, it is higher as a result of clearly final 12 months was final 12 months’s, the final 12 months of the outdated regulation and a lot of the drivers, they knew the automotive very, very effectively and so they’ve been growing that automotive.
“Whereas this 12 months is certainly fully new, so on the driving facet, it is a massive alternative as a result of whoever understands it the easiest way and sooner than the others can actually make the distinction.”
That isn’t to say, nonetheless, that the veterans will wrestle and robotically get overwhelmed by the kids, as a result of being inexperienced nonetheless proved expensive for Antonelli final season.
Though he impressed on events with three podiums and a Miami dash pole, he additionally suffered many unforced crashes in follow and generally struggled with the pressures of being a highly-rated rookie – his residence race at Imola being an instance.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photograph by: Mercedes AMG
“The opposite drivers are usually not silly and so they’re fairly good,” mentioned the 19-year-old. “So I believe they may determine it out in a short time as effectively.
“Expertise nonetheless counts. With the way you strategy the 12 months, each weekend, the expertise nonetheless helps and since, in fact, I’ve achieved one 12 months in F1 and I’ve realized so much, however this 12 months, positively I’ll have a special strategy at instances, however I really feel I nonetheless must study fairly a bit.
“So on the expertise facet, there’ll nonetheless be a little bit of a distinction, however on the driving facet, I believe we’re all on the identical stage now as we’ve got the brand new automotive. So I believe that’s going to be a giant, massive alternative.”
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