F1 2026 | 'All about Sinner and Antonelli': How Mercedes' 19-year-old Italian driver is lightning up ongoing season
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "F1 2026 | 'All about Sinner and Antonelli': How Mercedes' 19-year-old Italian driver is lightning up ongoing season")
Mercedes' teen driver Antonelli wins Miami GP for 3rd straight victory Photograph: (X/Mercedes)
Antonelli, racing in his second season only, also had finished second in the 2026 season opener Australian GP (Mar 8) before winning Chinese GP, Japanese GP, and Miami GP. He currently has 100 points so far and sits atop the drivers' leaderboard.
Mercedes' 19-year-old Italian Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli continues to impress - this time by winning Miami Grand Prix on Sunday (May 3) in a hard-fought battle with defending champion Lando Norris. Antonelli, who has been compared to superstar Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, currently leads the F1 2026 drivers' leaderboard by 20 points ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell. This is also the third consecutive race win for the teenager after winning last two races in Chinese GP (Mar 15) and Japanese GP (Mar 29). Antonelli, racing in his second season only, also had finished second in the 2026 season opener Australian GP (Mar 8) and has 100 points so far.
Why Antonelli was compared to Sinner by Mercedes boss Wolff?
In a heartwarming coincidence, on days of Antonelli's F1 victories in China, Japan, and Miami, Italian tennis superstar Sinner also won his ATP Masters tournament, that is, Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid Open, respectively. With Italy failing to qualify for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, the fans got to cherish the victories to two Italian sporting icons and Wolff was not shy of comparing the two.
"Now that they are not qualified for football, it’s all about Sinner and Antonelli, and Antonelli and Sinner. Sinner won in Madrid, so it’s the two that are superstars," said the F1 team boss.
How Antonelli is winning the F1 races easily?
Trending Stories
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
Speaking on the teenager's performance, Wolff said: "We’ve given him a car that is very good, and an engine that is right but how he’s been able to monetise on that every single weekend is special."
"It seems like a lot of the speed has always been there, everything is chipping away at the finer details. It’s easier to slow someone, calm someone down that is wild because you won’t be able to accelerate a donkey, so for me that was his best race so far. It reminds me of his karting days or Formula 4, there were no mistakes today, he added.
