F1 2026: The Best Team Radio Messages From Kimi Antonelli's Championship Year

Kimi Antonelli is the champion of the world.

We all knew that it would happen during the Mexican Grand Prix, and his beloved race engineer Peter "Bono" Bonnington confirmed it to the rest of the world. True enough, the young Italian driver had championship-worthy drives all season long.

The 20-year-old also shared memorable sound bites with Bono and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. We compiled our favorite ones, including the fun, the emotional, and the heated.

After finishing behind his teammate George Russell in the season opener at Australia, Antonelli bounced back with a win in China. It was the Italian's first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory, setting up what would be a dominant championship year.

Having won three straight races (China, Japan, Miami), Antonelli was the favorite to emerge victorious during Sprint Weekend in the Canadian Grand Prix. But Russell appeared to be in better form, winning the Sprint and snatching pole for the main race.

Then, on Lap 6 of Sunday's race, Antonelli went wheel-to-wheel with Russell and was forced wide onto the grass. Antonelli described Russell as "very naughty" and was continuously fuming over the radio. Bono wasn't able to calm the Italian down, but Toto Wolff took matters into his own hands and instructed Antonelli to focus on his driving.

Unfortunately for Russell, he retired his car due to an engine issue, and Antonelli inherited the lead for his fourth straight victory.

Antonelli started from pole in Silverstone and was on course for victory when a broken front-left wheel shield severely affected his car's performance. Mercedes tried to fix the problem by bringing him in for another pit stop, but the car's issues persisted. 

He rejoined in P10 after the stop, but the car was barely drivable, forcing him to go off the track numerous times and receive a five-second penalty. Antonelli pleaded with Bono not to retire, as he can still salvage a point. But it was all for naught. He finished in P16, although the race gave us a glimpse of Antonelli's never-say-die attitude.

Despite being one of the youngest in the grid, Antonelli doesn't back down from the more seasoned drivers. During Free Practice 1 in Spa, Antonelli was on a fast lap when he ran into a slow-moving Carlos Sainz Jr. in a fast corner. Sainz said that he Antonelli shouldn't call him an idiot on the radio, and the youngster would later apologize to the Williams driver.

An engine penalty forced Antonelli to start at the back of the grid in his home race at Monza. He still has a powerful Mercedes car to help him make up places, but Russell started in second and was the favorite to win Sunday's race. 

From 19th on the grid, Antonelli waved his magic and stormed through the grid very quickly. On Lap 18, he made his way to the top and overtook Russell into Turn 1. It would become a back-and-forth affair between the Mercedes teammates, until Antonelli took the lead for good in the Aschari chicane on Lap 50.

During a long rain delay in the Singapore Sprint, Russell played a prank and jumped on Antonelli's radio to pose as his new engineer. Amidst their championship battle (if we can call it that), it was one of the light moments between the two teammates.

Antonelli finished P3 in the main race, while Russell endured a horrible weekend, leaving Singapore with only two points.

Antonelli achieved pole on Saturday and easily converted it to a cruising victory on Sunday's race in Austin. The dominant win put Antonelli in a better position to clinch the title in the next race in Mexico. And in contrast to Toto's radio comment, Antonelli's convincing win was not just a small step.

Antonelli secured the World Drivers' Championship in Mexico, finishing third and climbing the podium with multiple-time champions Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli becomes the youngest F1 champion ever, and the fourth champion handled by Bonnington (along with Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, and Jenson Button).