'Not a walk in the park' - Kimi Antonelli cautious of F1 title threats amid looming Red Bull threat in Austria

Kimi Antonelli admits that this season won’t be a “walk in the park” for his Mercedes Formula 1 team as rivals improve – and he believes that Red Bull could make a big step this weekend.

Mercedes suffered its first defeat of 2026 when Lewis Hamilton triumphed for Ferrari in Barcelona, and Antonelli believes that the Italian team now has a strong package.

With the season proving to be a flat-out development race, he also expects that a major upgrade package introduced for its home event could put Red Bull in contention.

“I have full trust in the team,” he said. “They're pushing incredibly hard, and there's a really good dynamic. Of course, Ferrari, I think, since the start of the season, they've been our main competitors. But Red Bull is going to be very quick this weekend. They're bringing a big package. 

“McLaren is getting closer, but Ferrari is definitely strong, is there, and they have a great lineup. Lewis has been in great form so far. So definitely, it's not going to be a walk in the park, and we still need to really do our best, maximise everything, because there will be a race track where others might be quicker. 

“Look at Barcelona. I think the pace was very similar, and at the end, Ferrari was incredibly quick. Or Miami, McLaren was up there, very quick. So I think we need to just maximise every opportunity we have, because I think there will be tracks where we may struggle a bit more, and tracks where we'll be incredibly quick. 

“So we just need to keep our heads down, because competitors are very close, and they're very strong.”

Antonelli stressed that the competition won’t come from just one direction.

“As I said, Lewis is in great form, and for sure, he's smelling the possibility of winning and fighting for the championship. So for sure, he's a tough one to deal with. To be fair with everyone else, I think, if it will be Max, it will be the same, Lando, I think everyone, also George.

“You have so many drivers with so much experience that they've been in that situation many times; they're always going to be tough to deal with. But for sure, Lewis, as I said, he's in great form, and it's going to be tough because he’s been driving super well. 

“Barcelona, his last stint was very impressive, and he's just been feeling well with the car recently. Plus, Ferrari, they've improved their package even further, so it's going to be a battle. I wouldn't write off anyone else as well, because of course, now in the fight, it's mainly me, Lewis, and George, but you never know. Look at Max last year, he came back out of nowhere, and there are still so many races left, and anything can happen.”

Antonelli conceded that he will have to be on his game if he is to stay in the World Championship battle.

“I’ve got to be ready for anything, I’ve got to be ready to fight and to really give my best, because again, it's one of those opportunities that doesn't happen every time, every year, so of course, I’ve got to be ready. 

“I still have so much to learn, so much experience that I still need to make, but for what I've learned and what I'm learning so far, I'm just going to try to be as ready as I can in case that opportunity becomes even more realistic towards the end of the year.”