Photographer Mark Sutton on photographing Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 Formula 1 World Championship

After more than four decades photographing Formula 1’s biggest names and most memorable moments, Mark Sutton thought he had seen it all. But Kimi Antonelli’s remarkable 2026 season has given the veteran photographer a renewed enthusiasm for his craft.

From capturing a young Antonelli meeting Lewis Hamilton to documenting the Italian’s maiden World Championship triumph, Sutton has witnessed some extraordinary moments. Yet it was Antonelli’s emotional home victory at Monza that provided one of the highlights of his career.

“That was one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” he recalls of Kimi Antonelli‘s emotional home victory at Monza.

“We posed Kimi up, and there was this sea of people in front of him: 10, 20, 30,000, I don’t know how many there were on the circuit.

“It’s an experience like nothing else in Formula 1.”

It was one of many moments Sutton captured during the Italian’s second Formula 1 season, which culminated in a maiden Drivers’ Championship in Mexico City and helped Mercedes secure the Constructors’ title in Brazil. For Sutton, the experience has also rekindled his enthusiasm for the job.

“All the photographers talk about how amazing he is. It has really kept me going this year because, when you get to 61, the job can become a little repetitive: not boring, but repetitive.

It’s great to have a fresh perspective on things and a bit of new life. It’s really woken me up. It’s been a joy, to be honest, absolutely amazing.”

Photographing legends in the making

Sutton’s first experience behind a camera at a race came in 1983, when his brother Keith, then working as Ayrton Senna’s photographer, invited him to Oulton Park. Sutton was 18, still studying and unfamiliar with the equipment.

“He said, ‘I’m going to do the first corner. You go out the back.’ I had a camera with no motor drive, so I had to take a picture and then wind the film on manually.”

The race featured Senna battling Martin Brundle in British Formula 3, and Sutton suddenly found himself watching a dramatic incident unfold through his lens.

“Senna dived down the inside of Martin Brundle… and the next minute they landed on top of each other. But I didn’t get the next frame because I had to wind the film on. By the time I’d done that, it was gone. I did get pictures of them walking around the car afterwards. Those photographs from my first ever race became quite famous.”

The photographs became well-known images of Senna’s early career, as the Brazilian went on to claim that year’s British F3 title before progressing to Formula 1, where he would win three World Championships. Sutton, meanwhile, photographed Senna’s first Toleman test and built a career documenting generations of drivers.

“And that was photographing Senna, when nobody really knew what a legend he was going to become,” Sutton reflects.

More than three decades later, Sutton would capture another photograph involving a future World Champion, although once again, its significance wouldn’t become clear until years afterwards.

At the 2018 Italian Grand Prix, a 12-year-old Antonelli was taking part in the pre-race ceremonies as a grid kid. As the drivers made their way along the line, Sutton was photographing their interactions with the children.

Among those moments was a young Antonelli fist-bumping Lewis Hamilton, then driving for Mercedes.

“My photograph was the one of Kimi with Lewis back in 2018,” Sutton reveals.

“Little did I know what that photograph would become. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Kimi was a grid kid at Monza in 2018. I was photographing the drivers going down the line, high-fiving and fist-bumping the kids. One of those moments was Lewis fist-bumping a 12-year-old Kimi.”

Eight years later, the boy in that photograph has succeeded Hamilton at Mercedes and become a World Champion himself.

A sea of Tifosi and a moment in history

Of all the events Sutton photographed in 2026, Antonelli’s home victory at Monza stands apart. With thousands of Tifosi flooding the circuit to celebrate their home hero, Sutton found himself on the podium capturing what would become one of the most memorable moments of his career.

“I felt this massive buzz. I turned around afterwards and said to everybody, ‘That was one of the best experiences of my life.’

“I think that’s what doing this job is about as well, having that chance to experience these things. What other job allows you to travel around the world and take pictures?”

Having attended races with his father since he was just two years old and more than four decades photographing motorsport, Sutton has experienced countless memorable moments, but few atmospheres compare to Monza and the passion of the Italian fans.

“The key thing is the fans. You’ve got fans in the grandstands, fans on the track, and people down in the pit lane and on the pit wall. It’s like a threefold effect. The noise is amazing, and the Italian fans are just incredible.”

One image in particular has stayed with him – Antonelli, an Italian flag across his shoulders, standing before the enormous crowd of the Tifosi. Sutton watched as the driver briefly lowered his head, seemingly taking in the scale of the occasion.