Kimi Antonelli’s Impressive Start to the 2026 F1 Season
No question about it—Kimi Antonelli has begun the 2026 Formula 1 season on a high note.
The young driver from Mercedes currently leads the Drivers’ Championship with 100 points. That puts him 20 points ahead of his teammate, George Russell, and a significant 41 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who holds third place with 59 points. Antonelli secured a podium finish—specifically second place—at the Australian Grand Prix in just his second year and has since gone on to clinch victory in his first three Grands Prix. After triumphing at the Chinese Grand Prix, he followed up with wins at the Japanese Grand Prix and last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
These three wins not only place Antonelli in esteemed company but also allow him to carve out a unique spot in F1 history.
To add to the significance, Antonelli achieved pole position in each of those races, marking his first-ever pole at the Chinese Grand Prix.
As Will Buxton noted, alongside his various broadcasting duties, Antonelli’s early successes have him drawing comparisons to some of F1’s legends. There’s the intriguing possibility that he could be the first driver ever to notch three consecutive pole positions right out of the gate. He’s already mentioned in the same breath as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.
Speaking of firsts, who else claims the title of first driver in F1 to win three consecutive races? Well, there’s Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, and now, Antonelli.
Interestingly, all the drivers mentioned have secured the F1 Drivers’ Championship at least once. Senna dominated in 1988, 1990, and 1991, Hill took the crown in 1996, Hakkinen won in 1998 and 1999, and Schumacher—well, he’s often regarded as the greatest, tied with Lewis Hamilton with seven titles.
What makes Antonelli stand out, though, is that he transformed those first three pole positions into actual wins.
It’s worth noting, as Buxton highlighted, that very few drivers have ever managed to win races consecutively from their initial pole positions in their first three races.
After Antonelli’s Miami victory, Mercedes coach Toto Wolff expressed his surprise, admitting that he never envisioned such a rapid progression.
“Yes, that’s true. I mentioned that a lot last year. With an 18-year-old driver, we collect our share of wins but also face moments of frustration due to rookie mistakes,” Wolff explained.
“It was essential for him to get to know the team. Given that all drivers are still learning with this new generation of cars, we hoped for a decent start, but I must admit, three wins in a row was beyond our expectations.”
Perhaps that’s indicative of how rare such achievements are in F1.
