Mercedes Cite Kimi Antonelli ‘Gaming’ Edge Ahead of F1 Rule Reset

Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Mercedes believes Kimi Antonelli is well positioned to adapt to Formula 1’s sweeping new regulations, with the team highlighting the young driver’s “spare mental capacity” — developed through extensive simulator work and gaming — as a potential competitive advantage.

Antonelli completed a mixed but instructive rookie campaign with Mercedes, showing strong form at the start and end of the season while enduring a difficult mid-year stretch during the European rounds. The 19-year-old now faces an effective reset as the 2026 regulations require drivers to relearn how to extract performance from a fundamentally different car concept.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believes Antonelli’s adaptability will be aided by his comfort in high-workload environments, particularly in the simulator, as the team prepares for the new ruleset.

“We’re starting to understand him a lot better,” Shovlin told selected media, including RacingNews365.
“He’s getting very comfortable in the team. He’s comfortable in his own performance, and we’re excited to see how he does this year.”

Shovlin explained that adapting to the new regulations will primarily be a matter of repetition and cognitive processing, areas where Antonelli’s background gives him an edge.

“Adapting to the rules will really be about practice,” he said.
“Kimi, because he’s a youngster, has a pretty impressive ability to sit in the simulator and drive it all day long.”

According to Shovlin, the habits developed by a generation raised on competitive gaming translate directly into modern Formula 1 requirements, where drivers must process vast amounts of information while driving at the limit.

“I think all the younger drivers who’ve grown up gaming develop that spare mental capacity to drive while talking, while thinking about other things,” he explained.
“It frees up your brain to think about energy, strategy, and how you overtake.”

Shovlin added that Antonelli’s willingness to spend extended hours in the simulator is a key asset as Mercedes works through the complexities of the new car.

“He enjoys driving the simulator, and he’ll do as many hours as are required,” he said.
“That’s by far the biggest part of it.”

Beyond raw adaptability, Mercedes has also seen clear progress in Antonelli’s technical feedback and race weekend management. Shovlin highlighted improvements in the Italian’s understanding of the flow of a race weekend and his ability to communicate car behaviour to his race engineer, Pete Bonnington.

“Because Kimi can describe to Bono exactly what the car is doing, Bono knows what to do with it,” Shovlin said.
“Over time, you build up this database of what changes lead to what feeling in the car.”

However, Shovlin was clear that Antonelli still has areas to refine, particularly in managing intensity during qualifying sessions. He noted that Antonelli occasionally pushed too hard, especially late in qualifying, leading to tyre temperature issues and compromised lap execution.

“There were sessions where he probably got a bit ahead of himself,” Shovlin explained.
“He performed very well in Q1 and Q2, then just overdid it in Q3 and paid the price.”

One example cited was qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Antonelli struggled after overcommitting early in the lap.

“He just overcooked it,” Shovlin said.

Despite those setbacks, Mercedes views such moments as part of a natural learning curve, particularly for a driver at the very start of his Formula 1 career.

“This is the fine detail that drivers with six or 10 years under their belt have learned the hard way,” Shovlin added.
“What’s been good is that he reached Q3 and finished all the races, which maximises learning.”

As Formula 1 approaches its most radical regulatory overhaul in decades, Mercedes believes Antonelli’s cognitive flexibility, simulator dedication, and growing technical understanding place him in a strong position to take a significant step forward. With a full season of experience behind him and a clean-sheet rulebook ahead, Antonelli’s ability to convert those lessons into consistent execution will be a key storyline to watch.