Antonelli, clear ideas: “My goal is to win. I feel much more ready”

Antonelli, the year of confirmation If 2025 was the year of his debut, in which he was called to show his talent, for Kimi Antonelli the 2026 championship is one of consolidation. The Bolognese, despite an inconsistent path, has demonstrated that he has the qualities to be in a top team: he lost the comparison with George Russell, who however has just started his eighth season in Formula 1 and has a wealth of experience clearly superior to the blue. Therefore, if Russell is openly aiming for the title, it is right that Antonelli’s objectives are more modest. But they are certainly not of little importance: the class of 2006 feels much more ready than 12 months ago and, also thanks to the positive impressions obtained from the shakedown, he wants to start winning some races after the podiums in Montreal, Interlagos and Las Vegas. Antonelli’s words “My goal is to win and one day fight for the title. Last year I accumulated a lot of experience, this year there are many new opportunities for everyone. On the one hand I feel I am much more prepared, on the other I feel I still have a lot to learn”, these were the words of the Bolognese at the presentation of the W17. “I had some time to reflect on last season, to understand and analyze the weekends. In Barcelona we learned a lot, both us drivers and the team, but obviously there is still a lot to discover. This year I will have a different approach and the W17 is different, I say this in a positive sense: a little smaller, lighter and also shorter and more agile, I think more fun to drive. You have a little more space to play with the configuration, with the car, to understand what compromises you can find in terms of setup”, he added. “On the first lap I tried to push hard straight away and I was really impressed, I can’t wait to drive it again in Bahrain. Obviously George is very strong and is definitely ready to fight for a title, as well as being one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Competing with him will be a lot of fun, I can’t wait.”