Now, here is a refreshing piece of normality in the high-stakes world of Formula 1: as Motorsport.com reports, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli still washes his own road car by hand. That is right, a young man on the absolute cusp of a world championship prefers a bucket and sponge over any automated machine.
Antonelli arrived in Austin holding a massive 102-point lead over his team-mate George Russell. That puts the 20-year-old within striking distance of the drivers' championship at this weekend's United States Grand Prix, which would crown him the youngest champion in F1 history and the first Italian to take the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
During the launch event for the Mercedes United States Grand Prix livery, the young Italian opened up about his garage habits. He cleans his Mercedes-AMG GT63 road car entirely by himself because of a genuine love for machines and the satisfaction of keeping them pristine. "I like to clean my car," Antonelli said. "I never do automatic, you know, with the machine. I always like to wash by hand, myself. Because I love cars, I really like to take care of my car and everything. I like to see it clean, so it’s an activity I love to do. It’s a routine."
Away from the driver's surprisingly humble chores, the Brackley squad has serious business to handle at the Circuit of the Americas. The event marks the start of the penultimate triple-header of the 2026 season, and Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff is looking for a strong bounce-back. Following tough outings in Malaysia and Singapore, the team has worked hard to figure out where they fell short.
To aid that response, the squad will run their latest update package on both cars in Texas. Wolff acknowledged that the field is incredibly close and that continuous development is the only way to fight at the front during the final stretch of the year. Alongside the track action, the weekend features commercial activities around Austin, including an AMG and MANUFAKTUR takeover celebrating the wider Mercedes family. Still, the priority remains laser-focused on executing well and delivering where it counts.
