Numbers Reveal How Much Antonelli Has Improved by 2026
The young Mercedes driver has drastically reduced the gap to teammate Russell season after season and has become the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history.
The young Mercedes driver has drastically reduced the gap to teammate Russell season after season and has become the youngest championship leader in Formula 1 history.
Kimi Antonelli has proven to be one of the standout drivers in the first half of the 2026 season. The 19-year-old Italian, driving for Mercedes, became the youngest leader of the World Championship in Formula 1 history after just three races and has held that position ever since. Data analysis conducted by Formula 1 reveals just how significant his progress has been compared to his debut season in 2025.
In his first season, Antonelli averaged more than 0.3 seconds behind his more experienced teammate George Russell in qualifying. The exception was Miami 2025, where the teenager sensationally took his first Sprint Qualifying pole position. His biggest deficit came on his debut weekend in Australia, and he also struggled during the European part of the calendar.
The 2026 season paints a completely different picture. Although he was again slower than Russell in Melbourne, the gap was drastically smaller than a year earlier. Just a week later in China, Antonelli outperformed his teammate on the way to his first pole position and his first Formula 1 victory. Data shows that the 19-year-old has been ahead of Russell in seven rounds this season, with his biggest advantage coming in Belgium, a track where he recorded one of his largest deficits in 2025.
Russell was quicker in Canada, Barcelona, and Austria, but in each of those cases, the difference was significantly smaller than the previous season. The average speed difference has completely reversed: in 2025, Antonelli averaged more than 0.3 seconds behind, while in 2026, he is on average more than 0.2 seconds faster than the Brit.
Formula 1 compared Antonelli's progress with other drivers who debuted in 2025 and have retained the same teams and teammates. Isack Hadjar was not included in the analysis because he moved from Racing Bulls to Red Bull.
Franco Colapinto at Alpine has reduced the gap to Pierre Gasly but still trails by more than 0.2 seconds. Ollie Bearman was already faster than Esteban Ocon at Haas in 2025, and in his second season, he has extended that advantage to more than 0.3 seconds. The data for Gabriel Bortoleto at Audi is not as favorable: his deficit to Nico Hulkenberg is slightly larger than in 2025.
Among all the debutants analyzed, Antonelli has made the biggest leap. His turnaround from an average deficit to a significant advantage over his teammate is unmatched in this generation of young drivers.
