Newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli is treating the season's closing races as the first chapter of his bid to defend the crown.
Kimi Antonelli has barely had time to get used to the words "world champion," and he is already looking at next year. The new title-holder says the final races of this season are the start of his 2027 campaign, not a victory lap.
It is a telling mindset for a driver who has just reached the top of Formula 1. Rather than easing off with the championship secured, Antonelli sees the remaining rounds as a chance to learn, refine and build momentum for the defence of his crown.
That approach reflects a hard truth of the sport: winning a title makes you the target. Every rival on the grid will arrive next season sharper and more determined to take the number one from his car. By using the closing races to test ideas, sharpen his racecraft and get comfortable with the pressure of being champion, Antonelli is trying to get a head start.
His message is simple: the celebrations can wait, and the work of staying on top has already started. Whether that focus carries him to back-to-back titles will be one of the big storylines when the 2027 season begins.
