Mercedes can seal constructors’ title at Interlagos with Antonelli in front row By Luís Henrique Costa
3 min read
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Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver who won the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ title, visited the family of Ayrton Senna in São Paulo after arriving in Brazil for the 20th round of the season. The Italian posed inside the cockpit of the black Lotus that Senna raced in the 1985 championship, a car kept in the family’s private collection.
He had clinched the title two days earlier, on November 1, 2026, at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he finished third behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. He became the youngest driver to win the championship and the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
On social media, Antonelli shared images from the visit to the family’s private collection and thanked the Senna family for the welcome in the capital paulista. He published the post on the night of Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
“An unforgettable day. Thank you to the whole Senna family. It will take some time to get used to this, but I will carry these memories with me forever,” he wrote on his official account.
Early career parallels with Senna’s 1985 season
Antonelli was born twelve years after Senna died, but he repeated a milestone the Brazilian reached: his first pole position and first win in the second race of his second season in Formula 1. Senna achieved that at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, driving the Lotus 97T in the rain at the Estoril circuit.
Four decades later, in 2026, Antonelli stood on the top step of a podium at the same stage of his career. His first Formula 1 victory came at the Chinese Grand Prix, which started a run of wins that carried him to the title.
Ties to Brazil built during his 2025 season
Antonelli’s connection to Brazil deepened during his debut season in Formula 1. In 2025, he visited the Cemitério do Morumbi to pay tribute at Senna’s grave, days before lining up on the grid for the São Paulo Grand Prix.
In that race he finished second, behind Lando Norris. He also donated the helmet he used that weekend to the historical collection managed by the Instituto Ayrton Senna.
- Race: São Paulo Grand Prix, Sunday, November 8, 2026, 14:00 BRT, at Interlagos
- Distance: 71 laps, 305.879 km
- Track: Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, 4.309 km per lap
- Broadcast: TV Globo, sportv 3, Globoplay and F1 TV Pro
Antonelli took third in qualifying, but he moves up to second on the grid after George Russell was penalized for power unit changes. Lando Norris will start from pole. Brazilians Rafael Câmara and Gabriel Bortoleto will start 11th and 19th. Mercedes leads Ferrari by 126 points in the constructors’ standings and can secure the title in São Paulo if it gains at least three more points.
