Kimi Antonelli is under pressure to deliver, this is the Italian's year since his first Sprint pole position in Miami

By a mere 45 thousandths of a second, Kimi Antonelli secured the first pole position of his F1 career last year at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Admittedly, this isn't truly official, as it occurred before a Sprint race, not the Grand Prix itself. Nevertheless, this didn't stop a large part of the paddock from warmly congratulating the young Italian, just as much as... Toto wolffnaturally proud of the one he brought all the way to the Formula 1 at the age of 18 years.

Between that first success represented by that symbolic pole position, and the present moment, on the eve of the start of this new F1 weekend in 2026, the path has been anything but smooth. Struggling during the 2025 European season, Kimi Antonelli has shown resilience and bounced back. As the evolution of the Mercedes Benz Certainly, the Italian has regained performance with the W16, before taking off in 2026, while the W17 version seems uncatchable over the course of a Grand Prix.

Mental fragility dismissed?

Particularly young and inexperienced despite his natural talent, Kimi Antonelli showed, for the first time in 2025, a kind of vulnerability never before seen in the junior categories. That said, even in only his second F1 season, Toto Wolff's protégé is already leading the drivers' championship. The youngest driver ever to achieve this feat, and the youngest Grand Prix winner in Shanghai, the Italian proved that China was no fluke when he repeated the success in Japan.

Now in Miami, the question remains whether the break has reset the clock, particularly in terms of momentum. The Mercedes driver will need to rediscover the energy he showed at the start of the season, while also proving whether or not the Florida track truly suits his very distinctive driving style. In the opening sector and the fast section leading up to the final sector, are his inherent qualities an undeniable advantage, or was last year's performance simply a fluke? Without expecting too much from a driver who was still a rookie six months ago, it seems this race could prove to be a turning point this season, while George Russell, from the sidelines, is chasing his second F1 victory of the season, hoping to close the gap to his teammate. The Silver Arrows' lead currently stands at 72-63.

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