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A difficult debut season last year had left external expectations of Antonelli low at the start of 2026. But on a typically damp and cold January day at Silverstone, he already sensed that something special might be on the cards.

"It was just a few laps in the wet," Antonelli says, "but I just felt better in the car, much better than I felt last year. Also the car felt well, but I just felt better mentally in the car. Less tense, more relaxed and more mature."

Last year, he says, was "not great". "I was driving very tense most of the time, I wasn't able to extract the potential out of me," he says.

"This year, it's a lot different. The mindset has been the biggest change."

Fast forward eight months and the effects of that new headspace are plain to see.

After 14 grands prix, and with either eight or nine remaining depending on the war in the Middle East, Antonelli is a massive 81 points clear of team-mate George Russell.

Not only that, but he looks so in control. Always fast, always composed, a factor in every grand prix. Everyone knows the championship is basically over, barring some kind of dramatic misfortune.

Even then, Antonelli says he is "still finding my way" in F1.

The journey Antonelli has been on in the past two years is remarkable, and he says even he is "surprised" by the extent of his progress this year.

He was comprehensively outperformed by Russell in 2025. So when it was obvious that Mercedes would start the new regulatory era with an advantage, it was the Briton who started the season as championship favourite.

Russell duly won the opening race in Australia, but Antonelli was less than three seconds behind him at the flag. This, he says, was the second moment of realisation of what might be possible.

"I had a big, big crash in FP3," Antonelli recalls. "But then thanks to the mechanics - who all throughout the season have done an incredible job, but on that specific occasion, it is a miracle - I was able to go back in the car and push again in the high speed and getting close to the limit.

"The crash, definitely it compromised a little bit qualifying and the race because we couldn't set up properly the car. I mean, the car was still very quick. But it was not easy.

"Still being able to stay close despite that, I was like, 'OK, you know, it's not going to be a walk in the park. It's going to be very tough', but I knew already that it was a different story compared to last year.

"If it would have happened last year, I wouldn't have been able to overcome that."

Monza 2024 memory made Antonelli 'afraid to do a mistake'

Antonelli's first season in F1 was haunted by an incident that happened the first time he drove on a grand prix weekend.

At the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, the day before they formally announced Antonelli was the replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes gave him an outing in first practice at Monza.

He was blindingly fast on his first flying lap - but then crashed heavily on his second.

Team principal Toto Wolff played it down at the time, saying he was well aware there would be mistakes from Antonelli as he found his feet in F1. But behind the scenes the incident had had a big impact on the young man.

"Monza stayed in my head for a very long time," Antonelli says. "I think all throughout last season, at least. Definitely that was a big thing that was kind of slowing me down.

"This memory of being afraid to do a mistake, also because going through the difficult period (in the middle of 2025), this memory was even stronger in my head, if you know what I mean.

"Because it was already a difficult period and I was like, 'If I even do a mistake or I crash, it's even worse.'

"So yeah, it's been a thing that has been bothering me a lot last year. This year I was able to just put it behind."

Doing so has involved a lot of work behind the scenes, analysing what happened in 2025, understanding what had gone well, what had not, and why, and what he could do to improve.

"The mindset going into this season, it was mainly trying to be able to extract more out of my potential," Antonelli says. "Trying to, first of all, do a better job than previous year. But as well trying to put things more together.

"The preparation that I did in pre-season was very, very intense. But it helped me a lot to arrive ready for this season.

"Plus, I did a lot of work with my mental coach. Trying to get my head right, my thoughts right on understanding the goal, and understanding that the most important thing is to be ready and to stay present in the moment.

"Not trying to think about final results or what would happen if I wouldn't achieve that. But just trying to be present and trying to do the best with what you can do in the moment."

'First win, first pole, took a lot of weight off my shoulder'

Still, though, he admits to be "definitely surprised" at how much progress he has made.

"I knew that I was going to be better than my first year," he says. "Obviously, because I think last year, towards the end of the season, I started to put things more together, starting to extract more performance. But still, it was still not great.

"Whereas this year, it's a lot different. Also as well, with the first win, the first pole, it took a lot of weight off my shoulder."

Antonelli has blossomed. Everything seems to be coming so easily to him. If he drops back in a race, he recovers seamlessly and quickly. Overtaking moves are done quickly and decisively. There's not been a circuit on which he has lacked pace.

Russell, by contrast, has admitted to struggling and - while not trying to take anything away from Antonelli, who he is always quick to praise - has expressed his opinion that his his driving style does not suit this year's new cars.

All of which raises a key question - how much of what is happening this year is Antonelli stepping it up, and how much Russell falling back?

"That's a very difficult question," Antonelli says. "I've definitely stepped up.

"This year definitely everything is new. So it requires also a little bit of a different approach. And trying to adapt to a different car, which hasn't been easy."

His consistency this year, he says, has come from the fact he has found "a nice rhythm in the season".

"I always try to follow my routines," Antonelli says, "the way I approach the weekend. I try to approach it all the time the same.

"I'm still finding my way, but I've found a way that helps me to be consistent and also helps me to be consistently ready when I go in the car."

There are still moments when he misjudges things, though. He cites the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, just days after his outstanding win in Monaco, one of the most dominant at that storied track for years.

"Monaco was a very high moment for me in the season, and then I went to Barcelona and I was probably a bit too excited, especially over a single lap," he says.

"So I was overdriving, I was chasing the lap time and the result didn't come in qualifying. I was actually a bit far back and didn't do a good lap.

"But that's because I was trying to do a bit too much after a very high moment in my career. And then I understood that that is not the way."

The lesson was applied after his spellbinding win from 19th on the grid at Monza, his home race, a result that Wolff said "closed a cycle" from his 2024 crash.

Antonelli says: "After Monza, I reminded myself, 'Don't make the same mistake as you did after Monaco.'"

He won the Spanish Grand Prix seven days later, an eighth victory from 14 races so far this season.

Success has inevitably led to fame, and with it attention.

"Life has changed a lot," Antonelli says. "I'm not going to lie. It's been a big change, but it's nice to see so much support. Definitely, one side is very nice, but on the other side, you have to be careful. You've got to protect yourself a bit more because obviously you're more exposed."

All year, Antonelli has talked about focusing on process, about doing the best he can on every single day, not thinking about the big picture.

Now, though, for the first time, he acknowledges the title - an achievement that would make him the youngest world champion in F1 history - is on his mind.

"Yes, I thought about it," he says. "But again, thinking about it, I came always to the same conclusion that the earlier I finish all this, the better it is.

"So I've got to just keep pushing. I keep doing the best I can every race. Because, yeah, that's the way. Just not finish. And until it's done, it's not over." %!s()

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember the mid-90s at the peak of the internet era. While kids played Pac-Man at the arcade, organizations began connecting online and found an easier path to compete in the global economy through email and instant access to information. As internet access spread, the novelty faded.

But a few organizations leveraged the internet for more than connection. Some reimagined their operations, and others used it to transform entire industries. Netflix challenged Blockbuster in entertainment. Priceline let consumers book travel without an agent. The technology became ubiquitous, but what those companies did with it created competitive advantage.

AI is about to repeat history.

The Readiness Gap

Advanced AI models, cloud infrastructure and security tools are becoming commonplace. Tools like Replit and Lovable let non-developers create whatever applications they imagine using natural language. That opens endless possibilities for innovation. But imagine employees across an organization creating their own digital tools to solve discipline- or department-specific challenges.

This is one of the many challenges keeping chief information security officers (CISOs) up at night. We’re past contemplating AI adoption; it’s happening. So how do leaders coach employees to use it responsibly and productively while maintaining security and enforcing governance across the organization?

The competitive advantage lies in building the capability to leverage AI creatively and safely. I call this the Readiness Economy, where leadership development, governance, operational discipline and learning opportunities determine how effectively organizations use AI. Just as the internet eventually stopped differentiating companies, AI access will, too. The differentiator will be an organization’s ability to use AI in ways that strengthen the business. That means building readiness across the organization, such as giving employees hands-on opportunities to build judgment alongside AI or continuous learning that helps them adapt as AI evolves.

Human Expertise Needed

Organizations may be catching on. Jobs requiring AI skills are growing nearly eight times faster than the overall labor market, and professionals with AI expertise earn 62% higher pay compared to those without AI skills, according to PwC’s “2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer.” In other words, professionals with AI skills are in demand and are being rewarded financially for helping organizations build AI capabilities.

But companies aren’t just looking for AI skills. According to the same PwC study, entry-level roles that involve AI skills are seven times more likely to require capabilities such as judgment and leadership, which aren’t traditionally entry-level requirements. So while AI skills are in demand, human expertise is, too.

Just 23% of business leaders believe their teams are fully prepared for AI​, according to Kyndryl’s second annual “People Readiness Report.” This means most leaders are managing a gap between what their AI investments promise and what their teams can deliver. To close this gap, leaders need to invest in upskilling the people tasked with governing and making decisions alongside increasingly autonomous systems.

Effective upskilling means giving employees opportunities to practice making decisions. In cybersecurity, that could mean putting teams through realistic scenarios where AI recommends a course of action and employees must evaluate the recommendation and decide when human intervention is necessary.

Automation Requires Judgment

Cybersecurity offers a clear example of why human oversight is so critical. Cybersecurity teams are using AI to automate tasks and prioritize vulnerabilities. However, the most consequential security decisions require business context, operational awareness and sound judgment.

For example, an AI model may correctly recommend patching a vulnerable industrial controller, but only an experienced security professional can determine whether doing so could disrupt manufacturing operations or interrupt critical infrastructure. The technical recommendation may be correct, but only a human deeply familiar with the complex business operations can determine the consequences of that fix.

Many professionals across industries are concerned that as AI advances, organizations will need fewer humans, but I believe the opposite. As AI takes over routine work, people will be even more valuable in making strategic decisions. Every step toward automation increases the need for and importance of human intervention.

Research from Hack The Box reinforces this principle. Our NeuroGrid Agentic AI vs Humans Benchmark analyzed 1,337 human teams and 156 AI teams across 36 cybersecurity challenges. Elite human-AI teams outperformed AI operating independently, completing challenges 312% faster, indicating that AI amplifies expertise rather than replacing it.

Readiness Must Be Built

This productivity gain is exactly why AI readiness must become a strategic priority. The same AI capabilities that accelerate productivity can also expand the attack surface and threats to organizations. As AI systems become more autonomous, organizations must prepare employees to understand when to trust them, when to challenge them and when to override them. Readiness must become a core element of enterprise resilience.

Organizations must also consider how they will develop the next generation of decision-makers. As organizations automate entry-level work, they may very well eliminate the experiences that have traditionally developed future experts and leaders. For example, cybersecurity professionals have used repetitive alert analysis and foundational operational tasks to build intuition and judgment. Removing those experiences without creating new development opportunities threatens the talent pipeline. Organizations may find themselves with increasingly capable AI systems but too few professionals qualified to oversee them.

The AI Advantage Is Human

AI is already widely accessible. AI readiness—developing the ability to make decisions, adapt to change and transform technology into business outcomes—is not. As the technology becomes embedded across business functions, CISOs will increasingly be looked upon to help executive leadership and boards navigate governance, operational resilience, workforce preparedness and enterprise risk. To prepare to lead in these areas, CISOs must approach AI readiness with the same vigor and care as AI adoption, building the skills, judgment and development opportunities employees need to govern AI effectively. Developing the human capability is a strategic investment in long-term competitive advantage.

Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

Usually this copy is priced at $59.99, but those interested in jumping into this new action RPG can pick it up for $51.30 right now from Amazon. That saves you just over $8. It's not a huge discount, but it's a welcome one considering the game only just released early last month.

Save 14% on Beast of Reincarnation for PS5

Beast of Reincarnation - PlayStation 5

While its initial response at launch was quite mixed, developer Game Freak has since announced a plan to patch it with "a series of continuous updates." Some of these included camera adjustments, increased text size, story pacing improvements, bug fixes, and more to help give the game a bit of a lift. And while IGN's own review gave it a 6/10, writer Travis Northup did note that it has "some great ideas blossoming" even if they're "hard to spot among the weeds."

Mainly, Northup wrote that the game has "an interesting, apocalyptic setting, an extremely memorable wolf companion, and an action-packed beast-battling premise that is instantly very cool," but unfortunately, "its execution falls short of its promising ideas more often than not." If you're curious to see what the latest patch update has adjusted, you can check out publisher Fictions latest patch notes page here.

Regardless, if you've been eager to boot up Beast of Reincarnation on your PS5, this is a great time to grab it and save a little cash as a bonus. And if you're on the hunt for even more game deals, make sure to check out Nintendo's Customer Appreciation Sale for some big discounts on Switch games while it's still live.

It's also worth marking your calendar for October 6, so you don't miss out on Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale. This only runs for two days, through October 7, so you'll have a short 48-hour period to snag the games on sale that catch your eye.

Hannah Hoolihan

Freelance Writer

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the commerce team here at IGN. %!s()

Meanwhile, three new releases — Paramount’s Brad Pitt-led survival adventure “The Heart of the Beast,” Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s family friendly “Forgotten Island” and A24’s “To Catch a Predator”-inspired “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson — will vie for third place. “Primetime” and “The Heart of the Beast” are each projected to debut to $17 million to $20 million, while “Forgotten Island” is aiming for $15 million to $17 million. All three newcomers have great reviews and could exceed expectations with positive word-of-mouth.

“Primetime” cost just $15 million to produce, so the movie is well-positioned to turn a profit in its theatrical run. “The Heart of the Beast” and “Forgotten Island,” by comparison, were much more expensive to make. “The Heart of the Beast” carries an $82 million price tag and “Forgotten Island” was produced for $80 million, so those films will need to stick around on the big screen beyond opening weekend to justify their sizable budgets. (That’s because theater owners get to keep roughly 50% of ticket sales.)

“Primetime” continues a banner year for Pattinson, who starred in the spring indie hit “The Drama,” Christopher Nolan’s summer blockbuster “The Odyssey” and will appear in Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming “Dune: Part III.” Directed by Lance Oppenheim, “Primetime” follows Pattinson as Dateline NBC journalist Chris Hansen and revolves around the production of the popular series “To Catch a Predator,” in which he attempted to confront child sexual predators in complex sting operations. Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo and Phoebe Bridgers round out the cast of “Primetime,” which bowed at Venice Film Festival to raves.

“Heart of the Beast” was directed by David Ayer and stars Pitt as a retired veteran who navigates a brutal 58-mile trek to safety after he and his trusted combat dog survive a harrowing plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. Hollywood will be closely watching “Heart of the Beast” because it’s being released just days after Paramount settled an antitrust case with state attorneys general that removed a major obstacle to closing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount’s CEO David Ellison has pledged to release at least 30 new films a year through the joint company — but exhibitors want to make sure those movies will bring out audiences.

“Forgotten Island,” which revolves around two best friends who get stranded in a mystical world, could benefit from pent-up demand; there hasn’t been a major kid-centric movie since “Moana” in July. Plus, recent animated movies like “The Wild Robot,” “GOAT” and “Minions & Monsters” managed to remain big screen draws in the weeks after their debuts. “Forgotten Island” was directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and counts H.E.R., Dave Franco and Jenny Slate among the voice cast.

“Avengers: Endgame,” which needs no introduction, looms as the second-biggest movie in box office history with $2.799 billion worldwide. Excitement for the re-release certainly bodes well for “Avengers: Doomsday,” which unites nearly all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and is predicted to be one of the biggest movies of 2026. Right now, Sony’s Marvel sequel “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” ranks as this year’s largest domestic debut with $360 million and highest-grossing worldwide release with $2.47 billion. Will the Avengers mash-up give Spidey a run for those box office records? %!s()

At a presentation held at the San Sebastian Festival, Kayleigh Hughes of Olsberg SPI said the study expands on the consultancy’s 2024 analysis of incentivized international production, taking a broader look at Spain’s audiovisual production sector from 2023-25.

The research uses Spanish Statistical Institute data to measure production expenditure across film, video and television, including spending on goods, services and personnel. However, it excludes exhibition, distribution, broadcasting and video games, while post-production will be included in the full report, she added.

The sector is expected to generate €4.98 billion in gross value added (GVA) for the Spanish economy in 2025. That includes €2.72 billion in direct activity, alongside indirect activity generated by suppliers and service providers and induced activity linked to employee spending.

Hughes said the figures underline the audiovisual sector’s growing economic footprint beyond production companies themselves, supporting a wider ecosystem of businesses and workers. The study also points to broader benefits including screen tourism, cultural visibility, technical innovation and sustainability.

Spain has also recorded strong growth in film and co-production volumes in recent years, according to European Audiovisual Observatory data, reinforcing its position as both a domestic production hub and an international filming destination.

A panel comprising Spain Film Commissioner Juan Manuel Guimeráns, Madrid Film Region Coordinator Xiomara Garcia, Olsberg SPI’s Marta Moretto and Jesus Cambra of the Pablo De Olavide University held forth on the current state of affairs.

Moretto said the figures in the Olsberg study reflect substantial public and private investment and underline the growing scale of Spain’s production ecosystem.

The sector’s economic impact extends well beyond production companies. Jesús Cambram of Pablo de Olavide University noted that almost half of the roughly €5 billion in value generated around the audiovisual industry is created outside the sector itself, demonstrating its wider “tractor effect.”

The employment multiplier is similarly significant: for every 10 jobs directly linked to audiovisual production, another 11 are generated outside the sector, Cambram asserted. Those jobs include electricians, carpenters, hair and makeup professionals, transport workers and hospitality staff.

“We’re not talking only about production,” Cambram said. “There are many more activities that benefit from the positive momentum of the audiovisual industry.” He argued that workforce training should reflect those needs, with skills shortages in areas such as electrical work and carpentry potentially affecting production while also creating opportunities across the wider economy.

Guimeráns, meanwhile, stressed that the sector’s impact extends to wages and working conditions beyond the audiovisual workforce. “Touching this sector is either doing good or doing harm to other sectors,” he said, urging policymakers to consider those knock-on effects when designing measures affecting production.

The territorial impact is particularly visible in Madrid, where the regional audiovisual industry generates around 30,000 jobs, according to Garcia of the Madrid Film Regional Office. She said productions increasingly depend on local infrastructure, suppliers and services, making municipalities important parts of the production ecosystem.

She cited a shoot at a protected 18th-century theater that required specialist carpenters and technicians while also benefiting local restaurants. In another example, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” used an 8,000-square-meter production hub and hired a specialist vintage-car restoration company to prepare vehicles for the production.

Guimeráns said Spain is now among the leading audiovisual markets in the E.U. in absolute terms, but faces competition both internationally and between its own regions. “The producer moves very easily,” he said. “The territories and sectors that have better conditions attract more activity.”

He singled out the potential impact of new U.S. production incentives and warned that even policy announcements can influence production decisions. For Spain, he argued that any reform should improve incentives while preserving the mechanisms that are already working.

“We have to improve Spanish incentives — not only in percentage, but also in procedures, legal certainty and timing,” Guimeráns said. “Let’s do it, but let’s do it with a clear head.”

Spain’s growing production base, he added, is producing films, series and television formats that are increasingly traveling internationally. “What we have to do is push that forward,” he said.

“The study’s 2025 estimates show investment stabilizing after significant growth between 2022 and 2024,” Guimeráns later told Variety, adding that the slowdown reflects intensifying international competition.

“The jump from 2022 to 2023 coincided with Spain’s improved tax incentives,” he said. “Since then, other countries have been changing their incentives too — Italy, Portugal, France and the U.K. We’re all fishing in the same pond. It’s a big pond with room to grow, but we’re all fishing in it.”

But incentives are only one factor in production decisions. “Production doesn’t move from one territory to another for a single reason,” Guimeráns said. “Incentives are important, of course, but so are labor and production costs and how easy it is to shoot in a particular territory.”

He said historical data suggests incentives tend to expand the overall production market, even if activity shifts between territories. “If the U.S. introduces a federal tax credit, I expect production there to grow,” he told Variety. “I don’t think that’s necessarily negative for other territories. If production in the U.S. increases, labor and other costs may rise, which could push some production elsewhere.”

Among recent major productions in Spain, Guimeráns highlighted “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” calling it “a very powerful, very large production” with filming spread across the country. %!s()