Antonelli sends warning with ‘much more in control’ claim ahead of big chance

The Italian, who endured a turbulent rookie campaign, has settled into life in 2026 with remarkable ease. Antonelli has already claimed three Grand Prix podiums, including victories at both the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.

Quizzed about how much he has levelled up this campaign and his overall impressive start to the season, Antonelli noted how important the learning curve from his rookie year was, before admitting to feeling more in control of his overall situation at Mercedes.

“Big step. Experience does a lot. Obviously, last year I’ve gone through a lot, and it taught me massively more than what I anticipated, and for sure it’s helping so far this year. Of course, there’s still a lot of work to do, but I definitely feel much more in control of the situation,” Antonelli explained.

Continuing on his words and the need to continue in similar strides, Antonelli detailed the need to maximise every opportunity he is afforded, stressing how having a championship-winning car doesn’t occur often.

“Of course the car helps, and I’m going to try to be ready and everything because it’s one of those opportunities that don’t happen every day. So obviously, really grateful for the car that the team has provided us so far, and I just need to keep my head down,” he concluded.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Antonelli made history by becoming the youngest driver to lead the world championship after his win at Suzuka. The result moved him ahead of teammate and title rival George Russell by nine points after the opening three rounds of the season.

While Antonelli currently leads the standings, Russell has been urged by Martin Brundle to draw on the approach he used against Lewis Hamilton during their time as teammates in order to gain the upper hand in his fight with the young Italian.

Brundle, in his assessment of the pair, suggested the situation may be frustrating for Russell, who had expected to enter 2026 as a leading title contender. The former driver-turned-pundit, however, believes Russell must shed any overly accommodating approach and treat Antonelli as a direct championship rival.

Want to stay up to date with the latest events from the F1 paddock? GPblog’s Paddock Update is the place to be.

Follow and subscribe to our channels on Spotify and YouTube so you don’t miss a scoop as the actions and reactions continue across the Formula 1 scene.

Check out the latest episode of our Paddock Update here 👇