Expert Martin Brundle praises Kimi Antonelli after his performance in Melbourne and explains that George Russell will not have an easy ride to the world championship title.
Although Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a serious accident in the third practice session at the season opener in Melbourne, the Italian qualified in second place a few hours later and also finished P2 behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell in Sunday’s race.
In his column for Sky, expert Martin Brundle expresses his admiration for Antonelli’s ability to shake off his crash so easily. “Kimi was extremely fast again in his next flying lap after his accident,” praises the former Formula 1 driver.
“It reminded me of how Michael Schumacher crashed in Suzuka in 1991 with the spare Benetton, which was actually intended for his teammate Nelson Piquet for the weekend,” recalls Brundle, who was still an active Formula 1 driver at the time.
Schumacher, who was still new to the premier class in 1991, crashed heavily in practice in Japan, but quickly made his comeback. “His first fast lap back in his own car was the fastest of all,” reports Brundle.
It was a similar story for Antonelli, whose first Q1 lap on Saturday, i.e., his first fast lap after his crash, put him straight into provisional third place. In the decisive Q3, he later finished 0.293 seconds behind his teammate in second place.
This is another reason why Brundle believes that Russell will not march to the title in 2026. “Antonelli finished second despite a poor start [on Sunday], and I have no doubt that he will keep George on his toes throughout the season,” he emphasizes.
“If Mercedes does indeed have the car that can win the championship, mistakes will decide which of the two comes out on top,” he believes, conceding that Antonelli has a good chance against his more experienced teammate.
Russell will be completing his eighth Formula 1 season in 2026, while 19-year-old Antonelli is only in his second year in the premier class.