Jenson Button identifies key factor behind Kimi Antonelli rise

Jenson Button has highlighted the influence Pete Bonnington has had as Kimi Antonelli continues to lead the 2026 F1 championship standings.

Antonelli enjoyed a run of five successive victories to move into the lead of the world championship in just his second season in the competition.

Button highlights Bonnington role in Kimi Antonelli rise

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Impressive as Kimi Antonelli has been, 2009 world champion Button has pointed to the calming influence of his race engineer, Pete Bonnington as a key factor in that performance.

Now working with the young Italian, Bonnington has supported both Button and Lewis Hamilton during their championship-winning campaigns.

“People don’t understand how important the relationship is between an engineer and a driver,” Button told selected media, including PlanetF1.com.

“Bono is a really good influence on Kimi. They obviously have a good rapport, like Lewis and Bono did, like I did when I was with Bono.

“Obviously [Andrew] Shovlin was my engineer, [Bono] was my junior engineer, if you like – and Shov is still in the team.

“But I think that relationship is really key to them getting the best out of both of them and working together to get that car into a way that Kimi likes it.”

Mercedes emerged out of the blocks with the fastest package with the F1 2026 regulations ruleset.

George Russell delivered the team victory at the opening round in Australia, with Antonelli second to the flag.

The teenager then enjoyed a run of results as he and Bonnington came to grips with the W17 better than his teammate.

“It does feel that the car has gone a little bit away from what George’s style requires,” Button ventured.

“I don’t know if he has the backing from his engineer – I don’t know his engineer – to be brave enough to go and try something different, because their driving style is completely different.

“You need to go and try other things if you want to get the best out of the car for your style.

“We’ll see them both adapt through the season to what works for them. It just needs to be done pretty quickly, I think, with both of them. Especially for George’s side of the garage.”

Having sat 68 points in arrears of Kimi Antonelli following the Monaco Grand Prix, Russell is now just 25 points down after winning in Austria and standing on the podium in both Barcelona and Britain.

Button is not ruling out that trend to continue, noting Russell’s work ethic in contrast to his own.

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“I was always told that I was a driver that had talent, natural ability, and didn’t work hard. That’s what I was told in the early years,” Button admitted.

“I would say he’s [Russell’s] completely the opposite. He works extremely hard, and that’s what’s really impressive about George.

“He has meetings about meetings, and racing drivers don’t like meetings, so he’s a phenomenal driver

“I was a bit surprised at how difficult it was for him at the start of the year. His pace was there, but he got very unlucky on things.

“And I was like, ‘Kimi is a bit lucky now, because George is having issues’, but you know, when it’s five races in a row that he wins, you understand, it’s not all luck.

“Kimi is doing an extraordinary job, and that’s difficult when you are the more experienced driver in the team, you felt like this was your year to fight for that world championship.

“It’s tough mentally.”

During Antonelli’s surge, Russell endured a run of bad luck, with a battery issue while leading in Canada and a questionable penalty in Monaco.

However, he bounced back in Austria and saw the flag in Silverstone as it was Antonelli’s turn to strike trouble.

“We can’t forget when George went to Mercedes, they’d won multiple championships in a row, and he arrived in the car wasn’t as good,” Button said.

“That’s tough for a racing driver. And then he’s up against Lewis, and he did a better job than Lewis over those years.

“Now, he has a car that can fight for world championship, and you don’t know when the next opportunity will come, so you’ve got to give it your all.

“But in doing that, you put a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

“He’s experienced, very intelligent, been around for a while. He understands that this could be his year. Sometimes you do tighten up a little bit.”

While Russell’s experience is an asset in Button’s eyes, Antonelli’s youth also has advantages.

“He’s just good at having fun, and it’s awesome to see. He’s just very relaxed, loose with everything.

“He’s just a very different driver to most drivers on the grid.

“Because he’s so young, he’s fresh in the sport, everything’s exciting for him, so a very different atmosphere.

“When we get towards the end of the season, things will definitely change, for both of them, mentally, when they realize that there’s only a few races left, and they both have an opportunity to reach their goal as a kid.

“I think we’ll see it ebb and flow through the season in terms of who’s competitive and who’s getting the best out of the car, which is great because that’s the fight we want to see.”

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