Jenson Button has identified Pete Bonnington’s influence as a key factor in Kimi Antonelli’s performance during the 2026 Formula 1 season. Antonelli currently leads the Drivers’ Championship standings.
The Italian driver holds 179 points after nine of 22 rounds, maintaining a 25-point advantage over teammate George Russell. Antonelli secured his maiden F1 victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
He then achieved a run of five consecutive Grand Prix victories, including Japan, Miami, Canada, and Monaco. This strong performance established him as F1’s youngest-ever championship leader in his second season.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has praised Bonnington, Antonelli’s race engineer, as both a ‘good mentor’ and a ‘strong boss’. Bonnington previously engineered Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton during their championship campaigns.
He began working with Antonelli when the Italian joined Formula 1 in 2025. Bonnington emphasizes focusing on the process and allowing Antonelli the freedom to enjoy driving the car.
Bonnington noted that Antonelli consistently surprises the team with his capabilities. Button highlighted the crucial relationship between an engineer and a driver for optimal performance.
George Russell, in his fifth season with Mercedes, won the opening round in Australia. He also secured victory in the sprint race in China.
Russell experienced mechanical issues during qualifying in Shanghai and an untimely safety car affected his strategy in Japan. He finished fourth in Miami.
In Canada, Russell won the sprint race from pole but retired from the Grand Prix due to a catastrophic battery failure while leading. A pit lane speeding penalty in Monaco resulted in a 12th-place finish.
Russell later finished second at the Barcelona Grand Prix and won the Austrian Grand Prix. He secured his first British Grand Prix podium with a second-place finish.
Button suggested the Mercedes W17 car might have moved away from Russell’s driving style requirements. Russell’s traditional high-commitment, smooth technique may not suit the 2026 cars’ lower grip.
He has faced challenges on lower-grip tracks and in optimizing Pirelli tyre performance. Russell believes a 10-30 point gap to Antonelli is representative of the season’s performance.
He acknowledged Antonelli has performed better this year. Mercedes introduced the W17 E Performance for the 2026 season, designed under new regulations.
The W17 is lighter, smaller, and narrower than its predecessor, featuring a shorter wheelbase and reduced width. The 2026 power unit architecture involves a near 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power.
The MGU-H has been removed, and MGU-K power output increased to 350kW. Active aerodynamics, including movable front and rear wings, replace DRS.
Mercedes demonstrated significant deployment superiority with the W17, even over other Mercedes-powered teams. The car utilizes Advanced Sustainable Fuel, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65%.
The W17 completed its initial 200-kilometer shakedown at Silverstone. Mercedes was an early favorite for the 2026 title due to its engine development.
As of July 6, 2026, after the British Grand Prix, Mercedes leads the Constructors’ Championship with 333 points. Ferrari is second with 255 points.
Mercedes is allowing its drivers to compete for the championship without team orders. Team Principal Toto Wolff noted that multiple retirements have cost the team potential victories and a second-place finish.
“People don’t understand how important the relationship is between an engineer and a driver,” Button stated. “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.”
