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Since making his official debut at just 18 years old, Kimi Antonelli has had to undergo a massive physical transformation to make sure he is capable of wringing the neck of an F1 car for the full length of a Grand Prix.
On the cusp of his second full season in Formula 1, Kimi Antonelli is ready to make his mark on the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport after shaking off his rookie tag at the end of last year.
Antonelli has benefited from the advice of Max Verstappen during the off-season in a bid to usurp George Russell as the lead driver at Mercedes.
The 19-year-old hit a purple patch towards the latter stages of last year, and his results indicated that he certainly does have a chance of turning the tide in his favour inside the Brackley-based F1 outfit’s garages.
To do so, he just needs to keep working hard and make sure he’s in the best possible condition to eke out some performance over his fellow Silver Arrow.
- READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli spotted being far more ‘aggressive’ than Lewis Hamilton during Bahrain testing
Name the one driver you think is most likely to lose their F1 seat in 2026 👇
David Coulthard’s ‘brilliant example’ of Kimi Antonelli’s physical growth in F1
In an episode of the Up to Speed podcast, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard highlighted Antonelli as a “brilliant example” of the physical prowess that an F1 driver needs to compete in the sport.
In a conversation that touched upon the neck being one of the most important muscles for drivers, Coulthard said, “There’s a brilliant, brilliant example of that.
“Kimi Antonelli has been wearing the same sort of leather neck chain with, it’s got a dolphin on it or something.
“But when you see him back in Formula 3 and it’s kind of down towards his chest line, you see him now in Formula 1, it’s right up here, like a choker.”
Antonelli isn’t the only F1 newbie to have their physicality under the spotlight. Oliver Bearman has faced issues with his ‘long neck’ on circuits that produce high levels of g-force, such as Suzuka and Jeddah.
It’s arguably the most important muscle for drivers to train because of it, and you regularly see F1 drivers posting images of themselves on Instagram, taking part in strength exercises in order to bolster it.
With the Portuguese Grand Prix returning to the calendar next year, every driver will be upping the intensity of their neck pull reps ahead of the race weekend due to the extra g-forces that will be in play on the highly undulating circuit.
The first pecking order predictions are IN!
What jumps out?
Mercedes didn’t look as comfortable at F1’s Bahrain test compared to the Barcelona shakedown
With the second week of testing in Bahrain commencing tomorrow, it offers Antonelli and co. another three days’ worth of data to further refine the W17’s package ahead of the new season.
Mercedes were arguably the most comfortable team after the conclusion of the Barcelona shakedown, but the test in Sakhir exposed some issues that indicate not everything is going smoothly for the German constructor.
Ted Kravitz has reported that Mercedes are currently planning a major upgrade for the second Bahrain test, which they are hoping to be one of the final iterations of the W17 that fans will see race in Australia.
The 2026-spec Silver Arrow marks the first F1 car that Antonelli has had a genuine opportunity to develop with the team, so it will be fascinating to see how the young Italian adapts and improves during his sophomore term.
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