Kimi Antonelli has conceded that pre-season testing in Bahrain was not “the smoothest of tests” for him after experiencing some reliability issues, with the Mercedes driver expecting a “tight fight” amongst the top four teams when the campaign gets underway.
While the Silver Arrows achieved the highest mileage during the second test at the Bahrain International Circuit – recording a total of 432 laps – the squad still suffered some technical problems, including a pneumatic issue on Friday morning that forced Antonelli to stop out on track.
These incidences led George Russell to suggest that the team “need to keep on improving the reliability”, with Mercedes having also experienced issues at the first test.
Antonelli similarly acknowledged these problems whilst speaking to the media on the final day of the test, though suggested that it is better for the outfit to experience gremlins now rather than during the campaign.
“It hasn’t been the smoothest of tests for me here in Bahrain, but that’s what is testing,” the Italian said. “It’s all about testing and it’s really important to fix it now and to experience these issues now, to then be fine for the rest of the season.
“The team has been looking into it and already found the issue and also the way to fix it, so hopefully it will be fine for Australia. Other than that the car has felt pretty good – to be fair we’ve done a lot of work, set-up work, and the car is giving good feelings.
“Of course, the other top teams look pretty good as well – Ferrari looked strong this morning, but also McLaren yesterday looked strong and Red Bull as well, so I think the top four are pretty close together and it’s going to be a tight fight.”
Pushed on how different he feels entering into his sophomore season in Formula 1 – compared to when he embarked on his rookie year 12 months ago – Antonelli suggested that there has been a definite change, but went on to reiterate that he is expecting some tough competition in 2026.
“I feel good going into the season, much more prepared compared to last year,” the 19-year-old explained. “Of course there’s a lot of expectation around us, but I think the other top teams are very strong as well.
“Ferrari looked very competitive this morning, Red Bull looks in a good place as well and McLaren yesterday looked very, very strong, so I think we just need to keep focusing on ourselves and trying to squeeze as much performance as possible.
“Melbourne is behind the door, testing is almost done, and in Melbourne it’s going to be time to really show the performance.”
The Australian Grand Prix kicks off the 2026 season on the weekend of March 6-8.
