F1: Forget About Vacation—Kimi Antonelli Beats Charles Leclerc Behind the Wheel in Sardinia
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc are going head-to-head—even though their Formula 1 engines are long since turned off—albeit at a distance, both geographically and in terms of time. The two have decided to treat themselves to a few days of relaxation by the sea, both in Sardinia, though in different locations. But the budding Mercedes star decided to get behind the wheel anyway, inadvertently dealing a blow to his Ferrari rival.
At the very same time that Leclerc docked his yacht Sedici—accompanied by his inseparable wife Alexandra—off the coast of Ogliastra in Santa Maria Navarrese, Antonelli headed to the area near Porto Cervo: still in Arzachena, but in the town of Baja Sardinia. This is where the “Pista dei Campioni” kart track is located—a venue the Monegasque Ferrari driver has visited in the past, but where Kimi is truly at home. And as confirmed by the track’s Instagram account, Kimi broke his colleague’s lap record just this week.
“He’s practically family by now. Every year we’re happy to see Kimi Antonelli return to our track, and every time he manages to leave us with something special. This time he’s written a new chapter: he surpassed Charles Leclerc’s previous record, stopping the clock at 42.827” compared to 43.00”. Numbers aside, what remains is the passion, the smile, and the thrill of seeing such a great talent take to our track. Thank you, Kimi, for coming back again this year,” reads the post from the ‘Pista dei Campioni’. There, even with F1 on hiatus, the great dilemma of 2026 is reignited: should we root for Ferrari or for a great Italian driver who is, however, under contract with “rival” Mercedes?
After all, Antonelli is enjoying a well-deserved summer break: the Bolognese driver finished the first half of the season with 219 points, a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton and a 59-point lead over his teammate George Russell, a margin that—even when adjusted for the various changes to the scoring regulations over the years—can be described as the widest ever recorded at the halfway point of a Formula 1 World Championship. Six victories under his belt—including the one at Spa-Francorchamps that made him the first Italian to triumph on the Belgian circuit since Alberto Ascari in 1953—speak to a simply dominant first half of the season for the 19-year-old Mercedes driver.
Leclerc, for his part, has quite different reasons to reflect on during his Sardinian vacation. The Monegasque driver finished the first half of the championship in fourth place with 138 points, far from the top, and carries with him the memory of a particularly bitter Hungarian Grand Prix: a fourth-place finish, far from the podium battle, and a rant over the radio with his track engineer Bryan Bozzi that went viral on social media. “Could you give me some more advice? Something’s definitely not right with the car,” Leclerc had said, before responding with a curt “What pace?” to the suggestion to pick up the pace. These words sum up the frustration of a driver and a fan base that definitely expected much more from Ferrari in the first half of the season.
Further stirring up the atmosphere during the summer break was news also coming from Sardinia: in the same waters where Antonelli and Leclerc are currently located, Max Verstappen was spotted aboard his yacht “Unleash the Lion” in the company of, among others, Toto Wolff and his wife Susie Stoddart. Images of the two, with their respective partners, quickly went viral, reigniting rumors about a possible future for the Dutch driver at Mercedes. Verstappen could be released from his contract with Red Bull—which runs through 2028—if he finishes the season outside the top two spots in the standings, a scenario that is far from unlikely given his current 109 points, well below the threshold needed to trigger the release clause.
In this context, George Russell’s position appears more precarious than ever. The Briton, third in the standings with 160 points but with only two wins and trailing Antonelli by 59 points, finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in sixth place after a comeback from last place, openly admitting that he needs a break: “I’ve never had a season like this in my career. Problems happen to me, but the whole team is experiencing them. I don’t usually feel the need for a break, but this year I definitely feel the need for one.” These words, in the context of the rumors surrounding Verstappen, risk weighing heavily on his future at Mercedes. The Formula One circuit will return to the track in late August at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix: for everyone, including Antonelli, it will be time to get back to business.
