Kimi Antonelli noticed one key difference sitting in Mercedes’ 2026 F1 cockpit for the first time

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Audi may have provided the first glimpse of what the 2026 Formula 1 cars look like out on track during a filming day in Barcelona, but Mercedes are also stepping up their preparation behind the scenes.

After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Mercedes star Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be desperate to return to the Australian Grand Prix in March, where he announced his arrival in Formula 1.

Antonelli went from P16 on the grid to fourth in Melbourne on his debut, and while race winner and eventual world champion Lando Norris won driver of the day, it was the Italian who caught many people’s eyes.

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While many of his fellow rookies were crashing out in the torrential rain, Antonelli avoided all of that drama to secure 12 crucial points for Mercedes.

Antonelli eventually finished seventh in the drivers’ championship, but the rumours surrounding Mercedes’ 2026 car will excite the 19-year-old, who is searching for his first Grand Prix victory.

He’s now completed his seat fitting for next season’s car, and already noticed one difference with the 2026 machine based on the cockpit alone.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes 2026 F1 cockpit feels ‘tighter’ than last year’s car

In a video released on Mercedes’ YouTube channel, the teenage driver was preparing for his seat fitting.

Before Antonelli stepped into the car, he was told that ‘the only change’ Mercedes had made was ‘some subtle differences in the cockpit. The steering wheel has moved a bit but we’ve repositioned everything so it should, relative to you still feel the same.’

Antonelli got into the car, and after asking whether he should not hit the brake pedal hard after already breaking one in Mercedes’ simulator, he said: “It feels a bit tighter than the other car.”

The Italian driver also admitted that he felt higher in the car while adjusting the positions of his pedals at the bottom of the cockpit.

Antonelli also suggested that the car was tighter around his hips, suggesting that the shape of the cars is going to change subtly heading into next season.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Kimi Antonelli reveals how many helmets he has made for each F1 season

As he was sitting in the car, Antonelli took off his helmet and asked race engineer Peter Bonnington, also known as Bono, what number was on the back of it.

He noticed that it said, ‘18/30’, and Antonelli explained: “Yeah, I mean, I use only one during the weekend, unless it gets destroyed.

“It’s ok, I take them home!”

Mercedes have had one doubt about their 2026 car, which has emerged from their work in the simulator.

The good thing about pre-season ahead of the 2026 season is how much extra testing all 11 teams get.

Each team will be allowed three days of testing during the behind-closed-doors five-day outing in Barcelona.

This is then followed by two more three-day tests in Bahrain, which are all leading up to the opening race in Australia.

It will be fascinating to see what tricks each team, including Mercedes, keep up their sleeve before the opening race to try and give them the slightest advantage over every other manufacturer in the paddock.