MIAMI.- Kimi Antonelli showed that age is not an obstacle and that he is on his way to becoming a legend of the Formula 1with their impressive third consecutive victory of the 2026 season.
At just 19 years old, he became the first Italian to win three races in a row since Alberto Ascari in 1952 and will travel to Montreal with a 20-point lead as the youngest drivers’ championship leader in F1 history.
The AFP reviews three aspects left by the Miami Grand Prix and that confirm the immediate impact of the young Italian driver on the elite of motorsport, as well as the current dominance of mercedes and the possible regulatory changes on the near horizon of the championship.
Antonelli, a phenomenon
Few paddock regulars were prepared for this performance and many were skeptical of the Mercedes team boss’s claims, Toto Wolffthat Antonelli was a generational talent capable of marking an era in motorsports.
But his victory, hard won under pressure from the world champion of McLaren, Lando Norrisput an end to those doubts and confirmed his ability to compete at the highest level in highly demanding situations within Formula 1.
By becoming the first driver to transform his first three consecutive pole positions into victories, Antonelli has awakened the passion of his teammates and the expectations of motorsports fans in Italy.
Your teammate, George Russellnine years older than him and in his eighth F1 season, was one of the big favorites for the title before the season and won the opening race, but since then he has not been able to impose his authority.
For Wolff, torn between jubilant celebration and cold management language, it is a welcome dilemma as Mercedes finds itself at the top of the fight for the constructors’ title and plans a major package of improvements in Canada.
“It’s amazing,” Wolff said. “In a way, it’s what we predicted as a team, having ups and downs last season, with moments of brilliance, but also moments where you want to tear your hair out.”
“But this year everything is falling into place and I don’t think anyone expected it. He’s been able to take advantage of it every weekend and it’s special. It’s his best race so far and it reminds me of his karting days.”
Wolff’s decision to accelerate Antonelli’s joining Mercedes in 2024, before he had passed his driving test for road cars, raised eyebrows. On Sunday night, he placed him next to the tennis star Jannik Sinner in Italy’s sporting elite.
“The easiest thing is to make sure he stays grounded on the team; his parents have done a great job,” Wolff said. “The biggest problem is the Italian public.”
“Now that they haven’t qualified for the World (North American soccer), everything revolves around Sinner and Antonelli. They are the two superstars and that is something we have to contain,” he remarks.
Mercedes remains at the top
Antonelli’s victory kept mercedes at the top and confirmed that, despite significant improvements in McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bulland a series of adjustments to the regulations, the German team continues to set the competitive pace.
The race offered plenty of incidents and many of the new “yo-yo” overtaking maneuvers, while the batteries were recharged or speed increased.
“It’s still crazy, to be honest,” he said. Oscar Piastrifrom McLaren, who finished third.
“The approach speeds are huge and trying to anticipate them as a defender pilot is incredibly difficult. So, really, not much has changed,” said the Australian pilot.
Wolff responded to any critics who continued to claim that the show was artificial. “Anyone who complains after that race should hide,” he said. “Honestly, it was a great advertisement for F1.”
The FIA open to more changes
While Mercedes was pleased, others were encouraged to learn that the current hybrid era could be short-lived, as the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayempredicted the return of V8 engines and the return of the former Red Bull boss to the paddock, Christian Horner.
He also said the FIA was looking into the possibility of multi-owner teams in F1 in the future.
