How much of Kimi Antonelli’s stunning 2026 success is down to pure ability — and how much is the car, the setup, or the strategy? After his dominant United States Grand Prix win from pole, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson has answered fans’ questions, and the verdict is clear: Antonelli has simply done a better job than his Mercedes team-mate all season.
Kimi Antonelli (Credits: BBC Sport)
The 20-year-old Italian, who leads team-mate George Russell by 123 points in the standings, will secure the world title in Mexico City on Sunday by finishing ninth or higher. It would cap a remarkable second season after a mixed rookie year that contained definite highs but also quite a few difficulties.
Kimi Antonelli US GP Win: Ability, Not Just the Best Car
This weekend, both Mercedes drivers had the new upgrades, but Antonelli dominated qualifying and the race while Russell did not quite achieve the same success. Benson notes that the dominant theme of 2026 has been the degree to which Antonelli has stepped up his game — and in doing so, overwhelmed Russell, who has himself accepted that Antonelli has simply done a better job this season.
Antonelli’s performances have lived up to the billing with which he came to F1: that he could be the sport’s next generational talent. He has had some luck — safety cars in Japan and Madrid, for example — but he has also performed at a level of consistent excellence, with standout performances most obviously in Monaco, Monza and Austin.
The Mercedes has on average been the best car, Benson argues, but Antonelli is the only one of the team’s two drivers who has always been a factor. He fully deserves the world title he is almost certain to clinch this weekend in Mexico City.
George Russell: Set-Up Struggles or a Limit Reached?
As for Russell, he has fundamentally used driving style as an explanation for his relative struggles, saying previous cars suited his style and the new ones suit Antonelli’s. He has won only three races compared with Antonelli’s nine. On Sunday, team principal Toto Wolff said Russell had struggled in Austin to get the right set-up on the Mercedes with the new upgrade package, which has been problematic since it was introduced in Malaysia.
Wolff was emphatic that Russell remains elite: “George, for all of us in the team, is a champion and has won in every category and merits to be put in the group of the very best ones.” But he admitted the team must work out why the car’s performance drops out of Russell’s operational window — and why Antonelli copes better when it does.
Benson adds a warning for Russell: the absolute elite — drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso — tend to find a way to be at the top regardless of the car’s behaviour. If Antonelli is at that level, Russell will have his work cut out to beat him consistently, and needs to regroup over the winter and prove he can get back to Antonelli’s level next year.
Also Read: Kimi Antonelli Wins US Grand Prix in Dominant Fashion, One Race From First F1 Title | Toto Wolff Hails Antonelli’s US GP Win as Race of a Champion Who Isn’t Champion Yet
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.