Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the youngest leader in the World Championship ever, but he does not owe that to his race starts. The young Italian has more often lost multiple positions at the start of every Grand Prix in 2026 so far. Although Kimi Antonelli was still able to drive to victory three times afterwards, Jolyon Palmer already warns that the Mercedes driver cannot pull off that trick during the Monaco GP: ‘He has to get his start right for Monaco’.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the last three Grands Prix and has now built up a lead of 20 World Championship points over teammate and second place George Russell. And that while the Italian lost his leading position in the race in Miami already in turn 1 to Charles Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli has already lost multiple positions during race starts several times this season, and that could cost the Mercedes driver dearly, especially in Monaco, thinks Jolyon Palmer.
“It’s a short distance to turn 1 in Canada. In Monaco, it’s even shorter to turn 1,” Palmer looks ahead on F1TV. “But in Canada, there are still some overtaking opportunities. If Kimi doesn’t get the race starts right by the time of the Monaco GP, he could be on pole, but if he can’t start well there, he has no chance to win. So that’s the most important thing he has to work on.”
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Achilles’ heel
Kimi Antonelli himself also admitted that his race starts are certainly still his Achilles’ heel. “Honestly, it didn’t go so badly in Miami,” the 19-year-old told the media. “I dropped two places, and in the sprint six, so it went a bit better (during the main race, ed.). But no, it’s still unacceptable. I think that, especially in a weekend like the Miami GP, where the differences are much smaller, it can really affect the course of the race.”
The young Italian immediately took responsibility. “I think it’s also the team’s fault, but it’s certainly mostly mine,” Kimi Antonelli continued. “I’m still a bit inconsistent, especially when I have to release the clutch. So that’s an important point I need to improve.”
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Read everything about the Canada GP here
