Sebastian Vettel, a nice message to Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is pulling away in the Formula 1 standings: after his sensational one-two finish at Monza and Madrid, the Mercedes driver now holds an 81-point lead over second-place George Russell and is getting closer and closer to the title.

If he succeeds, the driver from Bologna would become the youngest Formula 1 world champion ever, at just 20 years old. Kimi would shatter Sebastian Vettel’s record, which dates back to 2010 and was set by the German at the age of 23 years and four months.

Vettel himself commented on the possibility that the Italian prodigy might surpass him: “Records are meant to be broken, and he still has several years ahead of him to break others. He’s having an incredible season, and I’d be very happy for him,” said the four-time world champion, as reported by Formulapassion. “I hope the others will also come back strong and fight for the top positions. I’m an outside observer, and I’m happy for Kimi because I know how much work goes into achieving such results; whoever wins will have earned it.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is also impressed by Kimi: “That’s just how he is—sometimes he gives us gray hair with his track limits. We had to drill into his head that he shouldn’t go beyond the white lines. Even after the first FP1 session at Monza, he went past the white line and crashed the car, and it’s the same story with track limits. At one point I told him, ‘Can’t you see out of the car? Do we really need to adjust the seat height because of the track limits?’ But that’s just how he is, and that’s what makes him so fast.”