P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Kimi Antonelli likes what he is seeing so far from Mercedes’ 2026 package after driving in the morning session in Barcelona.
Kimi Antonelli praised the initial performance of the Silver Arrows’ power unit during the shakedown test in Barcelona, providing Mercedes’ rivals with an early warning.
Antonelli, 19, was the first to hit the track and completed 55 laps with a best time of 1m 20.700 before handing the car to George Russell.
The young driver enjoyed the experience and highlighted the learning process of understanding F1’s new power unit regulations.
Mercedes is seen as the early favorite heading into the new regulations, and Antonelli commended the team for a job well done on the power unit side.
Despite it being early days, Antonelli mentioned that the car feels good and emphasized the importance of gaining more running time to fine-tune the power unit and the car.
