Riccardo Patrese has warned that the 2026 Formula 1 season will be a make-or-break one for Kimi Antonelli after a challenging rookie campaign, with Mercedes, which sees the 19-year-old struggle to match teammate George Russell.
At Monza this past weekend, Antonelli qualified a solid sixth to line up alongside Russell on row three of the grid for his home Italian Grand Prix. But while Russell climbed to fifth at the finish, Antonelli faded to ninth, extending a difficult record that now reads 15-1 in Russell’s favour in qualifying. In 16 attempts, Kimi has yet to beat him in a race.
Patrese, a six-time Grand Prix winner, believes next season will be decisive for his fellow Italian Antonelli: “Yes, next year is make or break for Antonelli, it’s vital. Maybe his career goes up or down. Mercedes will probably have a very good car next year. So maybe he could have the best car so he could go for the championship.
“But if Russell destroys him, then you understand that for Antonelli it could be a big problem. Next year you cannot accept any more mistakes like Sunday. I am sure Kimi will have the right people around him who will make it clear that the problems of last Sunday cannot happen again.”
Antonelli is good at PR, but it’s also very important to be a very good driver
Patrese said Antonelli needs to enter 2026 sharper, stronger, and more consistent if he is to prove himself worthy of Mercedes’ long-term faith: “By the end of 2026 he has to put everything in focus and present himself in a condition that is quick, reliable, no mistakes, as a person with no problems.
"He needs to show that his head is working well inside the car. He’s good at PR and all these things. He is a nice person. Now it’s also very important to be a very good driver. It looks like Mercedes is set with Russell and Antonelli.
For Kimi, next year is key. If he is able to be quicker than Russell and wins Grand Prix, then it’s fine. This year, Russell has proven to be better. If Kimi doesn’t improve next year and stays at the same level, then you understand that Antonelli is a good driver, but maybe he’s not an outstanding driver.”
Antonelli’s struggles are partly a product of the hype that surrounded him, according to Patrese: “The problem for Kimi is that he came into F1 with a target on his back that he could be an outstanding driver. So, everybody expects that from him."
Would Bottas be doing a better job in the second Mercedes?
Patrese acknowledged: “Yes, he did already have a podium; that’s not bad. At the beginning of the year, he drove some very good races. He was not doing badly in Zandvoort, but then he did a stupid mistake.
"So, he has a couple of months at the end of this season to adjust and analyse where he is and what he has to do; to see where he is weak, and where he is in good shape.
“If Antonelli makes mistakes next season or if he doesn’t perform as well as we expected, at least on the same level as Russell, then he could have a problem. And everybody will say, ‘Where is the Antonelli we were told to expect?’” concluded the 71-year-old Italian, F1 winner and motorsport veteran.
The price Mercedes is paying for the Antonelli experiment is in the 2025 F1 Constructors' Championship, where Russell (P4) has scored 194 points while his young teammate has only 66 to his name. One imagines that with their reserve Valtteri Bottas in that car, he would have at least double, if not triple that tally.
(Source: Adventure Gamers)
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