Mercedes technical director James Allison has defined how Kimi Antonelli’s daring use of the instruments on his steering wheel helped him grow to be System 1’s youngest world champion.
The Italian driver secured the 2026 title on the Mexican Grand Prix on the age of 20, in solely his second season in F1, and has received 9 grands prix thus far this yr.
Talking on the NU Silver Arrows Radio Present, Allison mentioned Antonelli was “very, very agile” in how he makes use of brake migration, which adjustments how the braking power is shared between the entrance and rear of the automotive as a nook unfolds, and the differential.
“He’s very, very adventurous: if he has a automotive that is understeering in a manner that he does not like, he’ll free it up with the diff and the brake migration to permit it to show even when it does not notably wish to. And the opposite, when it feels too full of life, he’ll shut it down in order that it’s much less so,” Allison defined.
“Now, everybody does this, however Kimi could be very adventurous with it. He is keen to go to fairly excessive settings on it and do it below his personal steam, trusting that he may have the management to maintain the automotive pointed properly to the apex. And that has been a big a part of the tempo that he has bought from the automotive this yr.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photograph by: Colin McMaster / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“From the second he hits the brakes to the apex is generally the place he’s taking the lap time, and he does all that with a minimal of fuss. It makes him very versatile with the automotive from situation to situation, and it has been actually spectacular to observe.”
That velocity into the nook additionally permits Antonelli to take care of his tyres.
“If you wish to see the standout performances of Kimi this yr, it is 20 laps in when everybody else has peeled into the pits and his lap instances simply go stage,” he added. “He does it again and again and over, and he simply doesn’t harm the rear tyres due to all of the work he is doing on the entry.”
Allison additionally revealed the extent of belief between Antonelli and his race engineer, Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington, saying the driving force will merely inform him: “Effectively, I belief you. You do what you assume is true, and I will attempt to work with what I get.”
“Bono would most likely inform you that it has been one of the crucial pleasurable seasons he is had,” Allison concluded.
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