Kimi Antonelli says new Formula 1 era will feel like 'speed chess' for younger drivers

With Formula 1 moving into a new regulatory phase in 2026, Kimi Antonelli is confident that the radical changes might even work to the advantage of the younger drivers. With the upcoming season, the second full season in Formula 1, the Italian has compared the season ahead to a game of speed chess, with quick thinking and adjustment no less crucial than bare pace.

Kimi Antonelli on adapting quickly to the 2026 regulations

The 2026 season is the start of a drastic redesign of Formula 1, with power units, smaller and narrower cars, and active aerodynamics. Antonelli, who has completed his seventh season as a rookie, thinks that drivers who have just left junior classes might be more able to cope with such a reset.


Antonelli states that younger drivers are used to new machinery each year since they work up the junior ladder. This continuous nature of change has conditioned them to learn very fast and derive performance within a very limited period of time. Having created an even playing field for everyone with the new regulations, he thinks that the rookies who have been offered the 2025 intake would be adapting more quickly than some of his more experienced competitors.

Even after taking into consideration the fact that experienced drivers will certainly adjust, Antonelli regards the early period of the regulation change as a small window of opportunity when adaptability can gain experience in the short run.

Racing as “speed chess” in the new F1 era

The comparison of speed chess by Antonelli is a hint at the level of strategy he would want the new cars to have. Energy management will also come into consideration, whereby drivers will be compelled to strategize multiple moves before they attack or defend on the racing track. When making instant decisions in response, one needs to expect the other to respond.

As he explained, the solution is creativity and an open-minded mode in overtaking and defence in 2026, especially when dealing with the deployment of energy during wheel-to-wheel battles. The drivers will also be compelled to always be two steps ahead and make opponents do something wrong instead of passively reacting.

With Formula 1 adopting this new phase, Antonelli sees success as relying more on a keen mind than on motor prowess. For younger drivers who have grown up with a quick-adaptation mindset, the 2026 speed chess is where they will make their mark.


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