At Mercedes, the 'Kid' Has Risen to the Top of Formula One

After winning the last two Grands Prix in China and Japan to become the youngest leader of the Formula One drivers' championship, Kimi Antonelli is aware of the rising anticipation of what he could achieve this season.

After a five-week hiatus following the cancellation of the Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in Iran, racing returns in Miami this weekend, with Antonelli holding a 9-point lead over George Russell, his Mercedes teammate.

He is taking his new status in stride. "I'm aware of the increase in support, especially after my first win, which has been very nice to see," Antonelli said in April. "But I don't feel any more pressure than I did at the start of the season.

"I know the expectations of people are higher; they are automatically a bit different now because I'm coming off two wins and a strong start to the season. But at the end of the day, I focus on the process, on what I have to do. I don't really want to put too much emphasis on expectation or the final result."

Antonelli's victory in Japan saw him leapfrog Russell, who finished fourth, in the standings. By taking over the lead of the championship at 19 years, 7 months and 4 days, he beat the record held by Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, by 2 years and 9 months, which had stood since 2007.

He also became the first Italian since Alberto Ascari, a two-time champion, to win back-to-back Grands Prix, dating from 1953.

Antonelli said talk of a championship was premature. "I'm not thinking too much about the championship," he said. "Of course, it's great, but there's still a long way to go, and I need to keep raising the bar little by little.

"What I don't want to do, now we're in a good position, is start to think about the final result or the long-term results. I just really want to focus on the present and maximize every time I am in the car to get the best result. I'm just trying to keep myself grounded, to focus on the ultimate goal and how to get there."

Following a change to the power unit regulations this season, with a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical energy, Mercedes, which won eight consecutive constructors' titles from 2014 to 2021, has again emerged as the dominant team.

It struggled from 2022 to 2025, winning seven of 92 Grands Prix. It has won all three this year, with Russell winning the opening race in Australia.

The competition between Antonelli and Russell has evoked memories of the relationship between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg when they were teammates at Mercedes from 2013 to 2016. They were friends through karting and the junior formulas, but that friendship evaporated as they fought for the drivers' championship.

Antonelli said his relationship with Russell had not changed, and it will remain strong for the rest of the year, but he senses an opportunity.

"Of course, I feel like I can be a challenger," he said. "That's what I'm here for. I want to race to win races and championships. That's my goal, and this year is a massive opportunity for all of us, especially for me and George because we have a very strong car, and neither of us wants to waste this opportunity.

"We're also very aware that it's important to keep a good dynamic in the team, and that's what we're doing. Of course, we have our own goals, which are to win and to be the best, but at the same time, we want to help the team in the best way possible to achieve its goal of winning the constructors' championship."

Russell, who is nine years older than Antonelli and is competing in his eighth season in Formula One, compared with his teammate's second, said their relationship was not a concern.

"We're both professional," he said in April. "We've still got a very good relationship, and it's something we're not even talking about. Within the team, it's not even being spoken about.

"I remember when I was a junior driver with Mercedes in 2017, 2018, when the fight was pretty strong at points with Ferrari for the team, the championship wasn't on anyone's mind. What was on everybody's mind was performance and getting the maximum every single weekend, developing the car, and that's my personal mentality."

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, said that presiding over the Hamilton and Rosberg relationship taught him many lessons. He will allow his drivers to race, but they have to remember that driving for Mercedes "comes with a responsibility."

"The oddity in Formula One is that the two teammates are also the biggest competitors, and we have learned a lot over the last 10-plus years on how to best handle these situations," Wolff said in April. "A driver feeling like it is all about him is not a mindset we would ever allow. We've done that in the past."

Wolff also wants to temper the expectations around Antonelli and allow him to develop without applying the added pressure of whether he can become the youngest champion in Formula One. That distinction belongs to Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won the first of his four titles in 2010.

"We were hoping to find an outstanding driver," Wolff said, referring to replacing Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari for 2025. "But bearing in mind his age and his relative lack of experience, it would take at least a season for him to find his feet. That's happening, but at the same time, we're not expecting an all-year miracle.

"We've seen some very good racing so far this season, fewer mistakes. He's also benefited from certain racing outcomes, strategies, safety cars, and that's going to swing in both directions, but he's on the trajectory that we were hoping for."

Despite a strong finish to his rookie season last year, the middle part was difficult. In the nine Grands Prix in Europe from May to September, and at circuits he knew from his junior career, he scored 3 points.

Antonelli said the regulation reset had helped him this year because "everyone is starting from zero." He has also felt confident returning to circuits he competed on for the first time last year in Australia, China and Japan.

"Having done all the tracks last year is definitely helping me so far this year," he said. "I know better what to expect and how to manage myself during a weekend. I just feel more relaxed, more confident, more in control of the situation. But I still need to do everything as perfectly as possible."

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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