Poor starts “not acceptable” if Mercedes wants to win F1 world titles
Mercedes remains on the maximum score of four wins after four Formula 1 grands prix, although the competition was significantly closer in Miami than during the three race weekends prior to the April break. McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all travelled to Florida with significant upgrades, while Mercedes has its first major package of the year planned […]
How Antonelli aims to keep his momentum despite the F1 April break
Formula 1 world championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was probably the biggest loser out of all the drivers in the unplanned April break. Having taken back-to-back wins in China and Japan, the latter giving him the lead in the drivers’ standings for the first time in his career, and a dominant Mercedes package at his disposal, […]
The three clues to the F1 start problem Antonelli is aiming to solve
«He’s going to kick my butt because of the start. I deserve that,” is what Kimi Antonelli said in response to his major area to improve within his dream start to 2026, in which the entire month of April – in part due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs – he […]
The new F1 rule which makes Antonelli expect Ferrari to close in on Mercedes
Formula 1’s 2026 regulations have largely met expectations as Mercedes has been the dominant team with Ferrari and McLaren being its closest challengers. The Silver Arrows has won every grand prix from pole and Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings after three rounds, with Mercedes also 45 clear of […]
Antonelli is leading F1’s title hunt, but is he quicker than Russell?
It was wholly unsurprising that George Russell was marked as the bookies’ favourite for the 2026 Formula 1 title before the season had even begun, given Mercedes’ performances in pre-season testing. Few could agree on the expected order after that: some combination of Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri lined the second […]
How Antonelli plans to attack F1 season with title challenge in sight
Formula 1’s latest winner was greeted with a standing ovation: nobody knew Kimi Antonelli would be there, but he wanted to be there before rushing to Bologna airport to depart for Japan. Over 300 fans gathered in the Checco Costa room at Imola for an event organised by the Tifoseria Ayrton Senna Italia, giving the Mercedes driver […]
Mercedes yet to understand problem that nearly ruined Russell’s qualifying
Qualifying in China went anything but smoothly for George Russell after he suffered a front-wing breakage in Q2 and then briefly halted on track at Turn 5 during Q3. Russell had won the earlier sprint race from pole position but looked far less assured during what proved to be a fraught qualifying session. Mercedes says […]
Why Mercedes is playing down rift with F1 engine customers
In the aftermath of George Russell securing pole position for the sprint race in China by 0.289s from Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, and a substantial 0.621s from third-placed Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has moved to quell talk of a schism with its customer teams. After qualifying for last weekend’s Australian Grand […]
My F1 2026 practice starts were my worst ever
George Russell claimed his two practice starts in testing for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign “were worse” than his worst ever, with Ferrari looking the strongest in that regard. Changes to the race start procedure has been one of the main talking points during pre-season, as drivers must now rev their engines for at least […]