Kimi Antonelli: 66 points clear and hailed a ‘phenomenon’ before F1’s Madrid debut

Kimi Antonelli goes into qualifying for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix with his Antonelli F1 title lead intact at 66 points over George Russell. Friday practice at the Madring, held in Madrid for the first time on 12 September 2026, gave us our first proper look at how Mercedes and its title contenders compare here. This update brings the picture up to date after two sessions that confirmed Mercedes as the team to beat this weekend.

State of Play: Antonelli Holds 66-Point Cushion in Madrid

Antonelli heads into qualifying 66 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in the drivers’ championship. That gap has held firm through the races since Monza, and it puts Antonelli in control as Formula 1 arrives in Madrid for a grand prix that has never been run before. Every point matters this deep into a season, and a cushion this size changes how a team can afford to race across a weekend.

Mercedes showed strong pace in both Friday sessions, which only adds to the sense that the team leading the championship is well placed to protect that advantage. Antonelli won’t need to take unnecessary risks in qualifying with a lead of this size behind him.

David Coulthard on Kimi Antonelli’s Monza Breakthrough

Antonelli’s title lead was built in part on his win at Monza, where he came from 19th on the grid to take victory. That result made him the first Italian driver to win his home grand prix in 60 years, a landmark that turned an already strong season into something historic.

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, David Coulthard called it the drive of a “phenomenon”, picking out the way Antonelli sliced through the field on a track where overtaking rarely comes easily.

This is up there with the greats.

Coulthard didn’t stop there. He said the result told him something about Antonelli’s character as much as his speed: “We knew he was a winner.” He then went further, arguing Monza had settled any lingering doubt: “We now know he’s a racer and a winner.”

Comparing Antonelli to Formula 1 Greats

It’s natural to ask where Antonelli now fits among the sport’s best, even this early in his career. Coulthard was quick to add some perspective on the Up To Speed podcast, wary of getting carried away with a driver who is still only 20.

I don’t want to be seen to be elevating a 20-year-old with only seven victories to his name into the echelons of Hamilton, Verstappen, Senna, Schumacher.

That caution is fair. Antonelli has had one extraordinary weekend, not a career’s worth of them, and Coulthard’s words placed the achievement in the right context. Even so, a recovery drive from 19th to victory at a driver’s home race, 60 years since the last Italian managed it, is the kind of result that gets people talking about greatness. Would we be having this conversation without Monza? Probably not, and that’s exactly why it mattered so much.

Where Antonelli Stands in the 2026 Title Race

The Antonelli F1 title lead now stands at 66 points over George Russell heading into Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, the widest gap of his championship season so far. That cushion reflects a run of results since Monza that has kept Russell, his closest challenger and his own team-mate, from closing the gap.

A 66-point advantage this late in the year is hard to overturn inside a handful of remaining races. It gives Antonelli licence to race with the title in mind rather than chasing every last point, and it puts real pressure on Russell to find something extra from Saturday onward.

None of that is guaranteed to last. Formula 1 has punished bigger leads than this before, and qualifying at a brand new venue always carries some uncertainty. Still, the numbers heading into Madrid make Antonelli’s position about as strong as a title lead gets at this stage of a season.

Friday Practice Pace and What Happens Next

Mercedes topped both Friday practice sessions at the Madring, with Russell quickest on heavy fuel long runs, according to Motorsport.com analysis. That form is exactly what a team defending a title lead wants to see heading into its first visit to a new circuit.

The same Motorsport.com analysis had Max Verstappen close behind Russell’s long run pace, with Antonelli a little further back again. The gaps were small in real terms, but the order suggests Russell may have the edge over his team-mate here, at least in race trim.

Friday wasn’t trouble-free for everyone. Rookie Arvid Lindblad crashed during the second practice session, though the running otherwise confirmed the shape of the weekend: Mercedes fastest, Red Bull close behind, and Antonelli’s title rivals with work still to do. Qualifying comes next, and it will show who can turn practice pace into a genuine result at Formula 1’s newest stop. For the full story of how this lead came together, our original Antonelli championship report has the detail.