Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord have discussed how the Brackley outfit is helping the Italian driver remain grounded amid his 2026 success.
At 19 years old, Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the drivers’ championship in the history of Formula 1 after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.
While he currently has a nine-point lead over his experienced Mercedes team-mate George Russell, the season is long.
“I always try to, especially after China, to keep myself grounded,” Antonelli explained on the Mercedes Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, referring to his maiden F1 win at the Shanghai International Circuit.
“Then focus on the next one, because it’s very easy to get carried away from these moments, which are amazing. But at the end of the day, this season is still very long, and the goal remains the same. So, we just want more of that feeling.”
Discussing the support he has had from Mercedes, he added: “With Mercedes I’ve been with them since 2018. So, since I was 12, it’s been an incredible journey so far. I grew up with them.
“Last year, the transition didn’t feel big because I’ve been working with the team. I knew a lot of the members. So it was a very smooth transition. It’s been amazing.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Mercedes has given me so many great opportunities since my karting days. And now we’re living a great moment together, and hopefully we can keep going this way, but I’m very happy where I am. And, I’ve got such great support.”
Lord shared a fun anecdote from a filming day at Silverstone, which showed how the team is keeping the young driver in his place. “To give you an idea of how you keep a driver grounded, so today, we’ve had a filming day at Silverstone,” the deputy team principal explained.
“Kimi decided it would be fun to wheelspin out of the garage to leave massive black marks on the garage, which the guys then have to clean every single time he leaves the garage. So he’s drifting out into the pitlane thinking ‘I’m super cool’, the guys are having to clean it.
“So they take all the dirty cloths that clean the garage and stick them all down the sleeves of his jacket just to make sure as he gets back out and puts the jacket on that they have a special thank you for him as well.”
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