​Kimi Antonelli, the current Formula One championship leader, has unveiled a new secret weapon in his pursuit of the 2026 world title that isn’t tucked away in a Mercedes workshop. The young Italian racer has installed a bespoke Formula Pro simulator at his home, built by British specialists Cool Performance and tailored to reproduce his Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 car with remarkable accuracy. The setup arrived just days before Antonelli celebrated a breakthrough victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, a result that solidified his grip on the lead.
Antonelli explained that the Formula Pro allows him to configure everything precisely as needed for training between races, underscoring the importance of the simulator in his preparation. The ultra-realistic system is designed to replicate not only the look but also the feel of his actual F1 car, with every element adjusted by Cool Performance in collaboration with Antonelli’s input to ensure that at-home laps translate directly into on-track performance.
Central to the arrangement is the steering system. The rig features a CP-S Leo Bodnar Sim Steering direct-drive wheelbase capable of delivering up to 26Nm of force feedback through a Mercedes-AMG Petronas racing wheel, calibrated to mirror the upper-body loads Antonelli experiences through high-speed corners at speeds up to 260 km/h, including demanding tracks like Suzuka.
At Antonelli’s feet lies a custom hydraulic pedal set that has been fine-tuned to mirror his Mercedes configuration, adjusting brake pressure, throttle travel, pedal position, and overall pedal travel. Even the fibreglass seat, upholstered in hand-stitched leather, has been molded to match his exact driving position, helping to develop muscle memory that translates directly from home practice to the cockpit.
The cockpit itself has been engineered with the same exacting standards. Created in collaboration with Quaife Engineering and featuring more than 40 individual components, the chassis is built to resist flex under load, ensuring consistency of angles and positions even when Antonelli is pushing hard. A CP-S tactile feedback system delivers vibrations through the frame to simulate gear shifts, kerb impacts, and bumps, while a triple-curved screen array completes the immersive visual experience.
Interestingly, the setup does not include a motion platform. Cool Performance notes that this choice is deliberate, arguing that most professional drivers prefer stable feedback through steering, pedals, and seating position rather than motion, which fosters more repeatable training sessions and sharper muscle memory.
Antonelli now stands as the tenth Formula One driver to employ a Cool Performance simulator. The same Formula Pro system is also utilized by fellow drivers at home, underscoring the growing role of high-fidelity simulators in modern racing preparation and performance.