Antonelli says 2027 title defence starts now as Mexico triumph still feels surreal

Andrea Kimi Antonelli touched down at Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix still riding the wave of his record-breaking Formula 1 world championship, sealed at the Mexico Grand Prix, yet the Mercedes driver made clear on Thursday that his attention has already turned to 2027.

“My 2027 preparation starts now,” Antonelli told media in São Paulo, four days after being hoisted aloft on the podium by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen following his title-clinching drive in Mexico City.

The 19-year-old admitted the magnitude of what he achieved has not yet fully registered. “I had such a crazy sequence of events in these days,” he said. “I won the championship, then spent time with the Senna family, which was already an incredible event. So, definitely I would have liked a bit more time to just sit down and reflect and realise what happened. It still feels surreal, you know? This morning, the team gave me a special t-shirt and when I looked at it, I was like: ‘Wow. Is this even real?’ There was just so much going on at once that it’s kind of overloading my head as well.”

Between Mexico City and São Paulo, Antonelli fulfilled sponsor commitments in the Mexican capital before flying overnight to meet the Senna family — a deeply personal moment for a driver who grew up idolising Ayrton Senna — before a further partner appearance on behalf of Mercedes title sponsor Petronas.

The whirlwind schedule has left little room for the kind of quiet reflection a first world championship might ordinarily invite. Antonelli said he expects the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony on 12 December in Shanghai to be the moment his achievement truly sinks in, with the season concluded and the world champion’s trophy physically in his hands.

The podium ceremony in Mexico had already provided one unexpectedly emotional landmark. F1 management worked with Mercedes and the FIA to give Antonelli a specially tailored celebration, selecting the Italian aria Nessun Dorma — which, by coincidence, was the favourite song of Antonelli’s late grandfather. The Italian was visibly moved. “The first song was very emotional for me because it was a song that my grandfather always used to listen to, so it was very special to hear that,” he said on Sunday night. “I think he would be very proud.”

The São Paulo race weekend marks the second leg of a gruelling triple-header, leaving Antonelli little opportunity to pause before the season draws to a close. If his comments in Interlagos are any guide, he has no intention of waiting until the off-season to begin plotting his championship defence.