Antonelli 'not doubting myself' as Mercedes driver names 'big factor' in his performances ahead of Barcelona

Kimi Antonelli has opened up on "not doubting myself" this season, while emphasising how big a factor enjoying every weekend has been in his performances thus far.

The Mercedes driver heads to the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on the crest of a wave after five wins on the bounce. The 19-year-old Italian has been unstoppable since taking his maiden Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, winning in Japan, Miami, Canada and last weekend in Monaco.

The incredible run means Antonelli sits 66 points clear in the Drivers' standings from Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, with Mercedes team mate George Russell a further two points adrift.

Ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this weekend, Antonelli admitted that while he had self-doubts during his maiden season of F1 in 2025, particularly during a rough patch in the middle of the campaign, no such uncertainty had plagued him this term.

"I would doubt a lot about myself, especially during that difficult period in Europe," said Antonelli on Thursday's media day. "This year has been a different story. You mature a lot after one year of F1, not only as a driver but also as a person.

"I think also last year, during the difficult period, I got to know myself better. Considering how bad it was in the moment, I'm very grateful that it happened because it made me grow a lot and taught me a lot about myself as well.

"This year so far [I'm] not doubting myself. There are questions that still need to be answered on my side. How much further can I go? How much more I can grow and how big is the potential? Still many questions that need to be answered."

With such a dominant run and lead in the standings, Antonelli has faced comparisons with the likes of Max Verstappen and Ayrton Senna at the start of their careers, but the Mercedes driver believes such pressure is a privilege.

"I feel very lucky to be in the position I am. It requires a lot of effort and commitment and of course, the job is not done," he said.

"We've got to keep pushing. One thing I said to myself at the start of the year is try and enjoy as much as possible all the weekends, all the times I go in the car.

"I feel like when I do so, I'm able to extract and maximise my performance so it's been a helpful factor. Also [it] helps me drive relaxed and not as tense as I was last year. That's definitely playing a big factor."

Mercedes has yet to be beaten in a Grand Prix so far this season, with only reigning champion Lando Norris coming out on top over Antonelli and Russell in the Miami Sprint.

Despite the dominance, Antonelli believes rival teams are closing in with Mercedes yet to fully understand how competitive its new upgrade package is after it was introduced in Canada.

"It's going to be an interesting weekend for us because we will see how the package we brought in Canada will work," he said.

"We couldn't see the full potential or how much it's giving us because Canada was unique conditions being so cold, and Monaco is unique as well. Barcelona is a more standard track and we'll see better how the package works and how much it's giving us in lap time."