Kimi Antonelli’s father, Marco, has shared an honest opinion on whether he feels his son can go up against George Russell for the 2026 drivers’ title. Marco shared a cautious statement, saying that it will be difficult for Kimi to beat a much more experienced driver in Russell.
Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest ever F1 race winner at the Chinese GP, claiming his first career win. After this, he was naturally questioned about the drivers’ title battle with teammate George Russell, to which the teenager replied saying he is looking to take things race by race.
The same question was also raised to Antonelli’s father, Marco, who shared an honest assessment of where his son is in his F1 journey at the moment. Speaking to Sky Sports about a potential drivers’ title fight on Sunday, Marco said:
“I don’t know, honestly, because Kimi is younger and I think that he’s not perfect in this moment. He’s a good driver, of course, but the experience is very important. And I think that George is a very super driver with a lot of experience, and it’s difficult to beat him.”
His win in China has left Kimi Antonelli just four points behind George Russell in the drivers’ standings. With the teammates essentially swapping their finishing positions from Australia in China, the points difference only comes from the sprint in China, which Russell won, and Antonelli finished fifth in.
If Mercedes continues its dominance at the front of the field in 2026, it is likely that only Antonelli will be able to compete against Russell for the drivers’ title this season. In that case, it will become pretty evident if the 19-year-old is ready or not to fight for a world championship, especially against a much more experienced driver.
Kimi Antonelli’s father credits Mercedes and Toto Wolff after son’s Chinese GP triumph
Marco Antonelli also credited Mercedes and Toto Wolff for Kimi Antonelli’s progress through the ranks in F1 following his first win at the Chinese GP. Marco also said that while he and Kimi’s mother did the best they could for him, the German teams also “did a big job”.
When asked during the aforementioned interview about Mercedes’ role in Antonelli’s development, Marco joked and said:
“Yes, of course, Toto did everything!”
He then added:
“We tried to do the best for our son, but Mercedes did a big job. I can say only thank you. You know, we had a moment, we talked about it. We were in Monza two years ago. And I said, ‘do you think Kimi is ready for the seat when he was in F2?’ And [Toto] said, ‘I think he is’. And I said, ‘Well then, let’s do it.’ But at the end, the best is Toto.”
Toto Wolff, who was also part of the interview, interjected and said that it was a combination of him, Mercedes, and Antonelli’s parents who have helped Antonelli’s journey. He added that Marco and Kimi’s mother, Veronica, provided the youngster with a “solid base” in his early years.
Edited by Mitali
