The 20-year-old Italian, who is running away with the world championship in only his second season in Formula 1, reflected on his breakthrough year in the sport during an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.
A difficult debut season last year had left external expectations of Antonelli relatively low at the start of 2026. But on a typically damp and cold January day at Silverstone, the young driver already sensed that something special might be on the cards for the upcoming campaign.
"It was just a few laps in the wet," Antonelli said, recalling those initial moments behind the wheel of the new challenger. "But I just felt better in the car, much better than I felt last year. Also the car felt well, but I just felt better mentally in the car. Less tense, more relaxed and more mature."
Last year, he admitted, was "not great". He recalled driving very tense most of the time, noting that he simply was not able to extract the true potential out of himself. "This year, it’s a lot different. The mindset has been the biggest change," he added.
Fast forward eight months and the effects of that new headspace are plain to see across the entire paddock. After 14 grands prix, and with either eight or nine races remaining depending on the evolving situation involving the conflict in the Middle East, Antonelli sits a massive 81 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate, George Russell.
Not only that, but he looks entirely in control of his races. Always fast, always composed, he has been a factor in every single grand prix. Everyone in the paddock knows the championship is basically over, barring some kind of dramatic misfortune or unforeseen catastrophe. Even then, Antonelli insists that he is "still finding my way" in Formula 1.
The journey Antonelli has been on in the past two years is remarkable, and he noted that even he is "surprised" by the sheer extent of his progress this year.
He was comprehensively outperformed by Russell in 2025. So when it became obvious that Mercedes would start the new regulatory era with a competitive advantage, it was the experienced Briton who started the season as the clear championship favourite.
Russell duly won the opening race of the year in Australia, but Antonelli finished less than three seconds behind him at the checkered flag. This, the young Italian explains, was the second major moment of realisation regarding what might be possible during the campaign.
"I had a big, big crash in FP3," Antonelli recalled of the Melbourne weekend. "लेकिन then thanks to the mechanics – who all throughout the season have done an incredible job, but on that specific occasion, it is a miracle – I was able to go back in the car and push again in the high speed and getting close to the limit."
The crash naturally compromised qualifying and the race setup to a certain extent because the team could not set up the car properly. "I mean, the car was still very quick. But it was not easy," he said. "Still being able to stay close despite that, I was like, ‘OK, you know, it’s not going to be a walk in the park. It’s going to be very tough’, but I knew already that it was a different story compared to last year. If it would have happened last year, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome that."
Monza 2024 memory made Antonelli ‘afraid to do a mistake’
Antonelli’s first season in Formula 1 was haunted by an incident that happened the very first time he drove on a grand prix weekend. At the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, the day after Mercedes had formally announced Antonelli as the replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, the team gave him an outing in the opening practice session at Monza.
He was blindingly fast on his first flying lap, but then crashed heavily on his second.
Team principal Toto Wolff played the incident down at the time, saying he was well aware there would be mistakes from Antonelli as he found his feet at the pinnacle of motorsport. But behind the scenes, the high-profile accident had a profound psychological impact on the young driver.
"Monza stayed in my head for a very long time," Antonelli said. "I think all throughout last season, at least. Definitely that was a big thing that was kind of slowing me down. This memory of being afraid to do a mistake, also because going through the difficult period in the middle of 2025, this memory was even stronger in my head, if you know what I mean."
"Because it was already a difficult period and I was like, ‘If I even do a mistake or I crash, it’s even worse.’ So yeah, it’s been a thing that has been bothering me a lot last year. This year I was able to just put it behind."
Overcoming that psychological barrier involved a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes. He spent months analysing what happened in 2025, understanding what had gone well, what had not, and why, alongside identifying specific areas where he could improve.
"The mindset going into this season, it was mainly trying to be able to extract more out of my potential," Antonelli explained. "Trying to, first of all, do a better job than the previous year. But as well trying to put things more together. The preparation that I did in pre-season was very, very intense. But it helped me a lot to arrive ready for this season."
"Plus, I did a lot of work with my mental coach. Trying to get my head right, my thoughts right on understanding the goal, and understanding that the most important thing is to be ready and to stay present in the moment. Not trying to think about final results or what would happen if I wouldn’t achieve that. But just trying to be present and trying to do the best with what you can do in the moment."
First win, first pole took a lot of weight off my shoulders
Still, though, Antonelli admitted to being "definitely surprised" at how much progress he has made over the course of a few short months.
"I knew that I was going to be better than my first year," he said. "Obviously, because I think last year, towards the end of the season, I started to put things more together, starting to extract more performance. But still, it was still not great. Whereas this year, it’s a lot different. Also as well, with the first win, the first pole, it took a lot of weight off my shoulder."
While Russell has struggled for form and balance, Antonelli has blossomed into a formidable competitor. Everything seems to be coming easily to him on track. If he drops back during a grand prix, he recovers seamlessly and quickly. Overtaking moves are executed with precision and decisiveness, and there has not been a single circuit this season where he has visibly lacked pace.
Russell, by contrast, has admitted to struggling. While careful not to take anything away from Antonelli—whom he is always quick to praise—the British driver has expressed his opinion that his natural driving style simply does not suit this year’s new generation of regulations and cars.
All of which raises a key question across the Formula 1 community: how much of what is happening this year is a result of Antonelli stepping up his game, and how much is it down to Russell falling back?
"That’s a very difficult question," Antonelli said. "I’ve definitely stepped up. This year definitely everything is new. So it requires also a little bit of a different approach. And trying to adapt to a different car, which hasn’t been easy."
His remarkable consistency this year, he noted, has come from finding "a nice rhythm in the season".
"I always try to follow my routines," Antonelli said, detailing the way he approaches each race weekend. "I try to approach it all the time the same. I’m still finding my way, but I’ve found a way that helps me to be consistent and also helps me to be consistently ready when I go in the car."
Despite his dominance, there are still occasional moments when he misjudges things under pressure. He cited the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, which took place just days after his outstanding victory in Monaco—widely regarded as one of the most dominant drives at the storied street circuit in recent years.
"Monaco was a very high moment for me in the season, and then I went to Barcelona and I was probably a bit too excited, especially over a single lap," he recalled. "So I was overdriving, I was chasing the lap time and the result didn’t come in qualifying. I was actually a bit far back and didn’t do a good lap. But that’s because I was trying to do a bit too much after a very high moment in my career. And then I understood that that is not the way."
That vital lesson was applied later in the year, particularly after his spellbinding win from 19th on the starting grid at Monza, his home race—a result that Toto Wolff noted effectively "closed a cycle" concerning his 2024 practice crash.
Antonelli said: "After Monza, I reminded myself, ‘Don’t make the same mistake as you did after Monaco.’" He went on to win the Spanish Grand Prix just seven days later, marking his eighth victory from 14 races so far this season.
Such sustained success has inevitably brought fame, alongside a dramatic surge in public attention and media scrutiny.
"Life has changed a lot, I’m not going to lie," Antonelli said. "It’s been a big change, but it’s nice to see so much support. Definitely, one side is very nice, but on the other side, you have to be careful. You’ve got to protect yourself a bit more because obviously you’re more exposed."
All year, Antonelli has maintained a strict focus on the process, emphasising the importance of doing the best he can on every single day rather than looking too far ahead at the bigger picture.
Now, however, for the first time, he acknowledges that the ultimate prize—an achievement that would make him the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history—is officially on his mind.
"Yes, I thought about it," he said. "लेकिन again, thinking about it, I came always to the same conclusion that the earlier I finish all this, the better it is. So I’ve got to just keep pushing. I keep doing the best I can every race. Because, yeah, that’s the way. Just not finish. And until it’s done, it’s not over."