Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is at the moment the standout determine in Formulation 1 – and he’s rewriting the collection’ report books. Whereas drivers earlier than him had managed to safe both their first three pole positions in succession or their first three grand prix victories in succession, nobody had ever mixed each streaks. Antonelli has now achieved precisely that.
“It is a cool stat,” Antonelli mentioned when requested about his outstanding accomplishment after the Miami Grand Prix. “I did not know, however do not actually need to suppose an excessive amount of about it. I am simply going to benefit from the second. However yeah, it is cool, I assume.”
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Antonelli claimed his first pole place a month and a half in the past on the Chinese language Grand Prix. The next day, he secured his maiden Formulation 1 victory. He then continued that type within the subsequent rounds: pole place and victory in Japan, adopted by pole place and victory in Miami. After simply 4 race weekends within the 2026 season, Antonelli sits comfortably on the prime of the championship standings – and has firmly established himself as a real title contender.
From a purely statistical perspective, Antonelli’s achievement is a promising omen in two respects. Earlier than him, solely Ayrton Senna in 1985 with Lotus and Michael Schumacher in 1994 with Benetton recorded their first three pole positions consecutively. Each went on to turn into a number of Formulation 1 world champions, with Schumacher securing his first title in that exact same yr.
Nevertheless, neither Senna nor Schumacher managed to say their first three grand prix victories consecutively. That feat was as an alternative completed by Damon Hill in 1993 with Williams and Mika Hakkinen throughout 1997 and 1998 with McLaren. Hill and Hakkinen additionally went on to turn into world champions – Hill in 1996, Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999.
Michael Schumacher claimed his first three pole positions in succession in 1994
Picture by: Ercole Colombo
The truth that solely two drivers earlier than Antonelli had achieved both of those comparable milestones – and that each one of them went on to get pleasure from main championship success – is prone to additional validate Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff’s early resolution to advertise Antonelli to the works Formulation 1 staff as a teen. That gamble is already paying off handsomely in Antonelli’s second season.
But Wolff was fast to mood expectations after the Miami Grand Prix. Chatting with Sky Sports activities UK, he mentioned: “I hope he can proceed on this constructive slope. Most vital is to not be carried away.”
Nonetheless, Antonelli’s outcomes up to now provide Wolff each cause to be optimistic about what lies forward: “He has […] the pace. And now we add to that some extra expertise. I feel we’re speaking about numerous success sooner or later.”
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