Antonelli vows to ‘keep levelling up’ in title fight

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosHamilton praises Ferrari for ‘moving mountains’ after Canada GPAntonelli vows to ‘keep levelling up’ in title fightWhy Bearman is taking ‘belief’ from Antonelli vs Russell battleFrom Hakkinen to Hamilton – 8 dramatic DNFs from the leadPlay0:182026 Canadian Grand Prix: Perez forced to retire after suspension failure 1:50Canada chaos review with Alex Jacques, Tom Deacon and Calum Nicholas Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-vows-to-keep-levelling-up-as-he-shares-mindset-over-developing-title-fight-with-russell.5sFGYIv70MRth0rdk3Osdp.5sFGYIv70MRth0rdk3Osdp"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-vows-to-keep-levelling-up-as-he-shares-mindset-over-developing-title-fight-with-russell.5sFGYIv70MRth0rdk3Osdp","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-vows-to-keep-levelling-up-as-he-shares-mindset-over-developing-title-fight-with-russell.5sFGYIv70MRth0rdk3Osdp","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-vows-to-keep-levelling-up-as-he-shares-mindset-over-developing-title-fight-with-russell.5sFGYIv70MRth0rdk3Osdp","datePublished":"2026-05-30T06:49:25.200Z","dateModified":"2026-05-30T06:49:25.200Z","headline":"Antonelli vows to ‘keep levelling up’ as he shares mindset over developing title fight with Russell","author":"F1","description":"Kimi Antonelli has made clear that he “can’t relax” despite moving 43 points clear of Mercedes team mate George Russell in the championship standings after the Canadian Grand Prix.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/v1779896764/fom-website/2026/Miscellaneous/GettyImages-2278041057-1.png"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Kimi AntonelliMercedesGeorge RussellShow more tagsAntonelli vows to ‘keep levelling up’ as he shares mindset over developing title fight with RussellKimi Antonelli has won the last four Grands Prix on the bounce to open up a sizeable lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Kimi Antonelli has made clear that he “can’t relax” despite moving 43 points clear of Mercedes team mate George Russell in the championship standings after the Canadian Grand Prix. Antonelli added to wins in China, Japan and Miami by triumphing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last weekend, taking full advantage of Russell’s terminal technical problems that struck while they were fighting for the lead. It means Antonelli’s points advantage is bigger than the gap between McLaren team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ever was in the race for the 2025 title, with F1 now moving on to a busy European phase. Asked about having a bit of breathing space over Russell going into the next rapid-fire run of events, Antonelli said: “Yeah, but to be fair, I’m not thinking about the championship. I’m just focusing on race by race. “I think it’s still very early to talk about that, and of course, now I have this gap, but that doesn’t mean I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep levelling up and keep raising the bar, because it’s not going to be easy. “Competitors are getting closer, and also George is super quick, so definitely I’m just going to try to focus on myself and enjoy the driving, and trying to really drive as fast as possible.” Antonelli went on to offer some more reflections on his ebbing and flowing battle with Russell over the first half of the Montreal race, which followed a similarly tight scrap in the previous day’s Sprint. “It was a tough fight,” he commented. “I think a couple of times [it] was maybe a little bit on the edge, but we were going at each other. We were both pushing and we both wanted to win. “It was, I think, for everyone watching, pretty entertaining, so definitely the stint was a lot of fun, because we were both pushing on the limit and going for it.” Antonelli’s latest victory also means Mercedes remain unbeaten in 2026, with a sizeable Montreal upgrade package appearing to strengthen their advantage at the head of the pack – though the young Italian is taking nothing for granted. “To be fair, we’re not really clear on the package, if I’m being honest, because this weekend was very weird in terms of tyres,” he explained, pointing to the variation in air and track temperatures. “It was very difficult to put them in the right window, so I think that was playing a big factor. Just by having the tyre in the right window was helping a lot. “I think we will have a better picture of the package in the next few races.” Perez feels comeback has proven he is ‘one of the best’ in F1McLaren set out plan for ‘circular F1 car’ in sustainability reportBettingMontreal chaos proves why bettors can't get complacentF1 legend Brawn makes motorsport return with MotoGP roleCATCH-UP: Round 11 of the 2026 F1 Sim Racing World ChampionshipQuizOUR PARTNERSView allDownload the Official F1 AppScheduleDriversNewsTeamsFantasy & GamingCookie PreferencesMoreF1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited