(Motorsport-Total.com) – Kimi Antonelli has “earned the right” to lead the Formula 1 World Championship. This assessment comes from former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, who praises the Mercedes driver for his strong performances in the current season.
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The 19-year-old Italian took the lead in the drivers’ standings after two consecutive wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. This also made him the youngest driver in the history of the series to ever lead the championship table. His success in Miami increases the lead over his teammate George Russell to 20 points.
Antonelli also prevails under pressure
While Russell struggled at the Miami International Autodrome and admits that the track does not suit him, Antonelli consistently seizes his opportunities. He converts pole position, despite a difficult start, into another race win.
Coulthard expresses his admiration for Antonelli’s development in the podcast “Up To Speed”: “He has finally grown up,” says the Scot. “He may only be in his second Formula 1 season, but he not only felt the pressure from Lando, who was ready to strike, but he also had some technical problems with the paddle shifters, causing irregular downshifts.”
The former driver also highlights the communication with the team: “And he was calmed by his engineer Bono when he tried to understand the problem with a raised voice. And I am sure they will talk about it afterwards, because in the end, the problem is the problem. You just have to pass the information on to the team, and they will try to find a solution.”
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Coulthard sees title readiness achieved
Coulthard thus sees Antonelli definitively at the level of a title contender: “I think he has definitely grown up. He has absolutely earned the right to lead this World Championship.”
At the same time, he expects an intense internal team battle at Mercedes. “George has the experience, he has the quality, he has all the skills to take it back. Both cannot win. One has to be first, one has to be second.”
Finally, Coulthard points to the strong competition in Formula 1 and how difficult it can be to win consistently even in the supposedly best car. He specifically mentions McLaren, as well as the progress of Ferrari and Red Bull, as examples of the close performance level in the field.
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