For , time is of the essence.
The Italian , who competes in Components One for Mercedes – changing no much less a legend than Lewis Hamilton on the Silver Arrows – remains to be simply 19 years outdated, however he isn’t biding his time, totally conscious {that a} title is there to be gained in solely his second season within the sport.
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On the grid, the present chief within the 2026 drivers’ standings hasn’t hung round, with achievements stacking up as effortlessly as he maneuvers his automobile across the monitor.
In his debut season in 2025, at simply 18 years and 224 days, Antonelli grew to become the youngest driver to guide a race, and on the identical day in Japan, the youngest to set the quickest ever lap (1:30.965 seconds).
He’s arguably taken it up a notch this season by turning into the youngest Grand Prix Pole Sitter (19 years, 6 months, and 17 days on the Chinese language Grand Prix) and by occurring to clinch victory in Shanghai that weekend, the second youngest race winner – that sound you may hear is Max Verstappen respiratory simple, protected within the information that he stays the youngest driver to win a race (18 years and 228 days outdated on the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix on his debut for Purple Bull Racing).
His love for driving
However Verstappen and the remainder of the competitors are at present being left behind by Antonelli, who will hope it’s enterprise as standard when the F1 season resumes this weekend in Miami. With a nine-point lead over his Mercedes teammate George Russell, Antonelli is the youngest ever Championship chief.
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“I’m a really bold particular person,” Antonelli tells CNN Sports activities simply days forward of competing within the Miami Grand Prix.
“The objective is to win, not solely racing, however attempt to win the championship… this 12 months is wanting good thus far, we’ve been very robust, and this weekend goes to be crucial in Miami, to be again from the place we left [off].”
Components One driver Kimi Antonelli speaks with CNN just a few days earlier than the Miami Grand Prix. – CNN
And off the monitor, time is on the forefront of the younger man’s thoughts too. Or maybe that needs to be, on the forefront of the younger man’s wrist. is catching up with the Italian in his guise as an IWC Schaffhausen ambassador, as he partakes in an occasion in Miami’s trend district earlier than his subsequent race.
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“It’s necessary to do these form of actions,” he acknowledges, earlier than impressing upon CNN Sports activities that “the factor I really like probably the most is driving.”
No kidding. A extremely respectable seventh-place end in Antonelli’s rookie marketing campaign – and, sure, the 150 factors he amassed are a report in a driver’s first Championship season – will certainly be improved upon in 12 months two, with these early-season victories in Shanghai and Suzuka seeing Antonelli ascend to the highest of the standings.
Even when his age precluded him from indulging within the conventional post-race celebrations of having fun with some champagne in Japan. “It was very difficult as a result of, clearly, they needed to get it prepared, however yeah, it was a non-alcoholic beverage,” he admits.
Kimi Antonelli celebrates the win in Japan along with his staff. – Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Photographs
Navigating champagne and non-alcoholic drinks however, the dream of a first-ever title in simply 12 months two of his F1 profession can get one step nearer to fruition with a 3rd go to to the highest step of the rostrum in Miami on Sunday.
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And returning to the theme of time, there’s loads of it left this season, with 18 races nonetheless to go in a barely truncated season, as a result of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia being cancelled attributable to security considerations and regional instability from the continuing battle in Iran.
“The break was not best,” Antonelli notes, “as a result of we had actually good momentum after Japan. However it’s actually good to be again in Miami…I’m actually wanting ahead to it.”
Changing Lewis Hamilton
Antonelli appreciates the help proven to him by not solely his household, which he calls his “rock,” but additionally somebody who should come near feeling like a member of the family, Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff.
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“Toto was the one who took me below his wing…I’ve grown up with him,” says Antonelli concerning the man who changed the legendary Lewis Hamilton with the younger Italian, after the seven-time World Champion departed for Ferrari.
Kimi Antonelli, proper, celebrates a win in China with Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff, left, and race engineer Peter Bonnington. – Jakub Porzycki/Reuters
An unflappable Antonelli doesn’t seem intimidated by moving into Hamilton’s seat, however moderately, “doesn’t suppose an excessive amount of about that.”
“To begin with, I don’t suppose I’ve changed him, as a result of he has rewritten the historical past of the game,” Antonelli stated. “So, I really feel like I used to be simply the subsequent Mercedes driver, however I’ve been having fun with massively the journey thus far with Mercedes, and final 12 months was a very good 12 months, when it comes to studying, regardless of the highs and lows, however positively the journey thus far has been unimaginable with them.”
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However away from his personal sport of F1, and the success which has come shortly, even Antonelli can’t repair the problems plaguing his beloved Italian nationwide soccer staff, with the Azzurri to qualify for a 3rd straight World Cup this summer time in North America.
“After all, it’s not nice, as a result of I used to be actually hoping for Italy to be within the World Cup,” laments Antonelli. “Sadly, it didn’t occur, however I’ll nonetheless watch as a result of I believe it’s such a cool occasion.”
Antonelli’s objectives, nevertheless, stay on monitor.
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