Kimi Antonelli believes mistakes are ‘inevitable’ for him during 2026 title fight

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Kimi Antonelli is in fine form as the F1 grid recongregates in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, but has admitted that he thinks a mistake is ‘inevitable’.

The championship leader enters the fifth round of the season with a 20-point advantage over Mercedes teammate George Russell. He boasts a three-race winning streak and a lot of confidence, while Russell is looking to bounce back after tending to his wounds.

Following Antonelli’s clinching of a third consecutive victory last time out in Miami, it emerged that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had limited his contact with the Italian press in an attempt to shield the 19-year-old from any negativity amid his potential title fight.

Should Toto Wolff treat George Russell harsher than Kimi Antonelli?

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The move by Wolff came after a highly scrutinised rookie season for Antonelli, who faced accusations of not being good enough to race for the works Mercedes team amid a poor run of form.

With Antonelli now in the driving seat of the world championship, a lot of pressure is on the horizon for him, and he has now voiced his concerns regarding a potential future mistake that he may make.

• READ MORE: David Coulthard says Toto Wolff is harsher on George Russell than ‘little baby’ Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli admits a bad weekend is ‘inevitable’ for him this season

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Antonelli fielded several questions regarding his ensuing title fight with Russell.

The topic of Wolff’s restrictions on his availability to the Italian press came up, and the three-time Grand Prix winner explained that he has yet to talk to the 54-year-old regarding the limitations that he has imposed.

“I haven’t spoken to Toto about this, but I think it’s normal that he wants to try and lower expectations of me because the team is trying to protect me after a great start to the season like the one we’ve had,” Antonelli replied.

Antonelli’s understanding of it is due to his inclination that a poor run of form will come, and so the protection he gets from Mercedes will be a leading factor in him being able to turn things around as soon as possible.

“It’s inevitable that there will be a bad weekend, where I’ll make a mistake or things won’t go to plan,” he continued. “That’s why it’s important to try to stay calm and protected, because so many things can change over the course of a year.”

• READ MORE: George Russell told he will be ‘out of excuses’ if Kimi Antonelli wins in Montreal

Kimi Antonelli was gutted for Max Verstappen after Nurburgring 24 Hours heartbreak

Antonelli also touched upon Max Verstappen’s recent venture into GT3 racing at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The Dutchman looked on course for a debut victory until disaster struck around four hours from the chequered flag.

One driver from the winning team, Maro Engel, expressed his desire for Antonelli to enter the prestigious endurance race with him next year. However, Mercedes chief Bradley Lord has already ruled out the idea.

Still, Antonelli was keeping an eye on Verstappen’s race and noted how gutted he was upon the #3-branded entry’s stroke of bad luck.

“Seeing him there was a great moment for the sport in general, because it’s wonderful to see an F1 champion dedicating his free time to closed-wheel racing,” Antonelli said.

“I followed it; I watched the first three or four hours of the race and then the rest in bits and pieces, but I was really sorry when he was forced to retire due to problems because they were already on course for victory.

“I was also supposed to go and watch him race on Sunday at the Nurburgring, but then it was also my sister’s birthday, so I preferred to stay at home.”