Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli has revealed a new secret weapon in his fight for the 2026 world title, and it is not hidden inside the Mercedes garage. The young Italian has installed a bespoke Formula Pro simulator at his home, built by British simulator specialists Cool Performance and configured to replicate his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One car with near-exact precision. The system was delivered just days before Antonelli claimed his breakthrough Canadian Grand Prix victory, a win that helped strengthen his grip on the championship lead. “The Formula Pro lets me set everything up exactly how I need to, which is essential when I’m using the simulator for training between races,” Antonelli said. The ultra-realistic system was designed to replicate both the feel and look of his real-world Formula One car, with every component configured by Cool Performance alongside Antonelli’s own direction and feedback, ensuring laps at home can translate directly to performance on track. At the heart of the setup is the steering system. The rig uses a CP-S Leo Bodnar Sim Steering direct-drive wheelbase capable of delivering up to 26Nm of force feedback through a Mercedes-AMG Petronas sim racing wheel, calibrated to mirror the upper-body loads Antonelli experiences through high-speed corners at up to 260km/h, including circuits such as Suzuka. At his feet, a custom hydraulic pedal set has been fine-tuned to match his Mercedes, from brake pressure and throttle length to pedal position and travel. Even the fibreglass seat, finished in hand-stitched leather, has been moulded to mirror his exact driving position, creating muscle memory that translates directly to the car from the comfort of his home. The cockpit itself has been engineered with the same precision. Developed alongside Quaife Engineering using more than 40 individual components, the chassis is designed to resist flex under