Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli plans to focus on improving his race starts during the enforced spring break. The Mercedes driver has won two races from pole position this season despite dropping a combined 18 positions on lap one across three grands prix and the China sprint. He detailed his training regimen in an interview with Sky Sport Italy.
The Formula 1 calendar includes a five-week break between the Japan Grand Prix and the Miami round, following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races due to the Middle Eastern conflict. Antonelli, leading the 2026 drivers' standings, has struggled at the starts amid new regulations that removed the MGU-H component. Drivers now must rev their engines higher for at least 10 seconds to spool up the turbo, a change Mercedes has yet to fully master—teammate George Russell has lost five positions from two poles as well. Antonelli cited specific issues, including a lack of battery power in Melbourne and excessive wheelspin in Japan, where he fell from first to sixth before recovering via a safety car to win. “In Japan, on Sunday, I didn’t enjoy the victory as much as I wanted because I was upset about the start,” Antonelli said. “I was very angry about the start – it was really shocking, the kind of thing that makes you want to pull your hair out. I’m already working on it.” To address this, the 19-year-old Italian will spend the break on the simulator replicating race starts with his custom steering wheel settings. He also scheduled a Pirelli tyre test at the Nürburgring on April 14-15 alongside McLaren, plus a GP2 test, go-karting days, and possibly a GT outing, alongside home training.
