Hairdresser, hairdryer and a Shaq sighting: Antonelli's Miami press conference is a hit
Formula 1

Hairdresser, hairdryer and a Shaq sighting: Antonelli's Miami press conference is a hit

3 May 2026 2 min readBy F1 Drive Desk (AI-assisted)

Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli briefly mistook a hairdryer for a hairdresser and then lost his train of thought to a passing DJ during his Miami sprint pole press conference, producing one of the most-shared off-track moments of the 2026 Formula 1 season so far.

Key Takeaways

  • 1."First lap out, there was a — that the I had a hairdresser pointed at my face," the Italian said, before catching himself.
  • 2.In Miami, between his sprint pole and a third Grand Prix victory in succession, he reminded everyone that the championship leader is also still a teenager.
  • 3.They will care less now: Antonelli backed it all up by taking pole and the win on Sunday, and his championship lead grew again.

Kimi Antonelli has spent the opening months of 2026 quietly forcing the Formula 1 paddock to take him seriously as a championship contender. In Miami, between his sprint pole and a third Grand Prix victory in succession, he reminded everyone that the championship leader is also still a teenager.

The moment that broke loose came in his Saturday pole press conference. Asked to describe a high-temperature on-track moment, Antonelli reached for the word 'hairdryer' to describe the heat shimmer off the cars in front of him. What came out instead was 'hairdresser'.

"First lap out, there was a — that the I had a hairdresser pointed at my face," the Italian said, before catching himself. "Um, no, a hairdryer. What did I have? I had said hairdresser. Oh my god. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. Sorry. Long day. It felt like I had a hairdryer in my face, not a hairdresser. What a hairdresser. Yeah."

The room laughed. Antonelli kept going. The next question — about being on pole for the Miami sprint — produced an even better moment. Mid-answer, the Mercedes driver simply trailed off and stared into the distance.

"What? No, I got distracted by the DJ," he told the room. "He looked like Shaquille O'Neal for a second."

Asked, half-amused, whether the DJ in question should take that as a compliment, Antonelli could only manage: "Um."

Mercedes' media team — who have spent the last few months guarding the rookie's schedule with the care normally reserved for race winners — must have alternated between cringing and laughing. They will care less now: Antonelli backed it all up by taking pole and the win on Sunday, and his championship lead grew again.

This is precisely the kind of moment that historically helps build a driver's brand far more than another front-row lockout can. Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc and even a younger Lewis Hamilton all became personalities in the eyes of casual fans because of unscripted moments like this — slightly awkward, utterly likeable, and impossible to script. The fact that Antonelli is also the fastest driver on the grid right now only sharpens the appeal.

Whether the DJ in Miami got a thank-you message from Mercedes' commercial department remains unconfirmed.