Max Verstappen says Kimi Antonelli shouldn’t be thinking about the title – the Red Bull driver jokes that he won’t be the one posing a threat in the remaining races
With eight or nine race weekends remaining – depending on what happens with the races in the Middle East at the end of the season – Kimi Antonelli is on course for his first Formula 1 world championship title. This would also see him replace Sebastian Vettel as the youngest world champion in the history of the sport.
Following Antonelli’s victory in Madrid, his team-mate George Russell can no longer secure the world championship on his own merits in a scenario where the Briton wins every race and Antonelli finishes second in each one. As a result, he told the media on Sunday that he no longer really sees himself in the title race.
Antonelli, for his part, does not yet want to think about a possible world championship title. And it is precisely this attitude – however clichéd it may be – that, according to those who know what it takes – Max Verstappen and Lando Norris – is exactly what the young Italian should have.
When both drivers were asked what advice they would give Antonelli for the decisive weeks of the season, the Mercedes driver immediately chimed in: “Well, I think they’ll be hoping for a comeback!” Verstappen, however, is quick to joke: “I’m definitely not making a comeback!”
Last year, Verstappen managed to make up a significant deficit by finishing on the podium at every Grand Prix after the summer break. But the Dutchman knows that the reality is completely different this time round.
Verstappen can now only aim for a potential race win. Should he fail to win a Grand Prix this year, it would be his first winless year since his debut season in 2015 – more than a decade ago.
Verstappen: Antonelli should “just do what he does”
As for his advice to Antonelli, Verstappen says the Mercedes driver should, above all, carry on as he has been doing, without paying too much attention to the championship standings. “Kimi just needs to do what he does. I mean, it’s fantastic; it’s really working well,” says Verstappen.
“He shouldn’t stress too much about it, which I don’t think he does anyway. He’s simply delivering, he’s confident and he’s gaining more and more experience. He’s still young and only just at the start of his career, but he’s really flying. It’s just working.”
“He shouldn’t overcomplicate things – and he doesn’t. He’s got lots of good people around him who know what he needs, so everything’s going well,” emphasised the four-time world champion.
According to Norris, Antonelli’s rivals shouldn’t be giving him any more useful advice, as the 20-year-old Italian will be a formidable opponent in the battle for the world title, not just this year but in the seasons to come.
“He’s leading by 80 points because he’s doing an incredible job. He’s beating a significantly more experienced and solid team-mate. That’s why I don’t want to give him any advice, because he’s doing a frighteningly good job – and he’s only just turned 20. Quite phenomenal,” says the McLaren driver.
” I think it’s great to see someone so young putting in such an incredible performance and most likely set to win the championship. He’s been impressive since the first race of this year, making very few mistakes. He doesn’t drive as if this were his second year in Formula 1 – that’s for sure.”
“There will be many, many more years in which we’ll be competing against each other, and I’m looking forward to more. Hopefully as early as this year, and I’m looking forward to us all racing against each other even more in the future. I’m looking forward to it,” said the reigning world champion.