Antonelli has no plans to ease off: My preparations for 2027 start now

Kimi Antonelli has completed his first week as world champion, but it has been filled with commitments rather than celebrations and feasting. The Mercedes driver has no plans to ease off in the coming weeks either. He will only take time off during the winter break, and wants to start preparing for next season before then.

Kimi Antonelli had to keep his post-race celebrations in check. On Monday, he already had meetings with sponsors keen to celebrate his championship success. The young Italian then flew to Sao Paulo for further sponsor commitments, this time at an event for the team’s title sponsor, Petronas. Thursday then brought the traditional media day at the circuit.

There was one particularly enjoyable engagement, though. “I had such a crazy sequence of events in these days,” admitted newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli. “I won the championship, then spent time with the Senna family, which was already an incredible event. So, definitely I would have liked a bit more time to just sit down and reflect and realise what happened.”

“It still feels surreal, you know? This morning, the team gave me a special t-shirt and when I looked at it, I was like: ‘Wow. Is this even real?’ There was just so much going on at once that it’s kind of overloading my head as well,” admitted the Bologna-born Italian.

The triple-header is taking its toll even on drivers who have had fewer commitments than Antonelli in recent days. Several have even picked up a virus, which forced Lance Stroll to miss media day in Sao Paulo.

Antonelli, however, has momentum and has no intention of stopping. “I’m actually very excited to be here,” he said despite the accumulated fatigue. “It’s a good opportunity to try to finish the season on top, but I also feel like my 2027 preparation starts now. It’s going to be important to finish the season strong in order to gain confidence ahead of 2027. And then once the season is over, I get a few days to enjoy everything else.”

Grands Prix tend to be a little more relaxed once the championship has been sealed. Drivers can afford to take more risks, and that will be especially true for Antonelli. After the race in Mexico, he admitted he had been very tense and too cautious on track. His aggressive approach could return in Sao Paulo.

“I will not be as tense now that the championship is done, I think I will be able to enjoy the driving even more,” Antonelli continued. “But the important thing is not to be too relaxed. It’s still important to have the same intensity. Of course, we’ve still got the constructors’ championship to win and it will be very nice to clinch it this weekend.”

Mercedes need to outscore Ferrari by three points to settle this year’s constructors’ championship as well. “So, on my side, I will just think about winning the race. I’m going to try to go on track with the same determination and intensity, same hunger.”