Kimi Antonelli describes how he handles pressure during F1 title run

Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver leading the 2026 Formula 1 championship, has described how he tries to keep everyday life familiar as he approaches his first chance to win the title at the U.S. Grand Prix on October 26. In an interview published by ESPN on October 20, he said he limits how much he dwells on the championship so he can focus on racing and enjoy his time at home.

Antonelli, 20, said one routine is washing his Mercedes GT63 by hand before travelling to his next race. He takes time to clean and dry the car thoroughly, rather than using an automatic wash. It is one of the ordinary tasks he has kept while his position in the title race has brought him greater attention.

How Antonelli spends time away from Formula 1

He told the small interview group, which included ESPN, that thinking too much about the championship could make him anxious and take away from his time at home. He also described a change in how he approaches race weekends: team members and others around him now handle some matters that he tried to manage himself last season, leaving him better able to concentrate on driving.

Antonelli contrasted that support with last year’s home race, when he said worrying about too many things left him mentally drained early in the weekend. His prominence in Italy grew further this September after he won the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid, according to ESPN.

When Antonelli could win the 2026 F1 title

The U.S. Grand Prix on October 26 is the first race at which Antonelli could secure the drivers’ championship, ESPN reported, although his mathematical chance of doing so there is slim. A Formula 1 report after the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11 put him 102 points ahead of George Russell, with six rounds and 150 points still available at that point.

The title would make Antonelli Formula 1’s youngest world champion, according to ESPN. For now, he says his approach is to let the people around him take care of matters away from the track while he concentrates on doing his best when he drives.