Mercedes teen ace Antonelli wants more of the same after maiden win

Kimi Antonelli said Thursday that his maiden Formula One win had given him more “awareness” of his potential as he and Mercedes look to ram home their early season advantage in Japan.

The 19-year-old Italian came home first at the Chinese Grand Prix to become the second-youngest race winner in history behind Max Verstappen, after finishing second at the season-opener in Australia.

Mercedes have claimed one-two finishes at both grands prix so far in 2026, with Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell winning in Australia.

Antonelli said his approach would not change at this week’s Japanese Grand Prix but admitted his win had boosted his confidence.

“I think the only difference is that the win gave me a bit more awareness of the potential, on what is possible to achieve,” he said.

“But in terms of approach, I want to keep the same because it’s been working well so far.”

Antonelli, who also became the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history in Shanghai, was given a hero’s welcome when he returned to his native Bologna.

He is the first Italian to win an F1 grand prix since Giancarlo Fisichella 20 years ago.

He and Russell have the chance to build on their scorching early form in Suzuka, where Mercedes have not won since Valtteri Bottas in 2019.

The race is followed by a one-month gap in the schedule caused by the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of war in the Middle East.

“It’s never good to have a break, especially when you have such momentum,” said Antonelli.

“You need to look at the positive side of it, which is you get a bit of time to reflect and to try and analyse where are the areas where you have to work on.”

Russell leads the early championship standings by four points from Antonelli, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 13 further back in third.

Russell is chasing his first world title and he said Mercedes were reaping the benefits after some lean years.

“I think being loyal to those people through the ups and downs has paid dividends and there’s a lot of trust,” said the British driver, who joined Mercedes in 2022.