Kimi Antonelli Is Like Schumacher: The Finest Tribute from a Great Former Driver

The praise for Kimi Antonelli continues to grow. The young Italian Mercedes driver is surprising everyone in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, and even Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, has acknowledged how extraordinary his season has been. The former German driver went so far as to draw a significant comparison, likening the Bologna native’s performance to that of Michael Schumacher.

In an interview with RTL and Sky Sport Deutschland, Rosberg expressed his surprise at the Italian talent’s progress, whom he has known since their karting days: “I knew he was very, very fast—I’ve known him since his go-kart days—but after last year, when he struggled so much, no one would have ever thought he’d drive like this this year. He’s been driving at Michael Schumacher levels,” said the 2016 world champion.

What impresses Rosberg most is the consistency in Antonelli’s performance. While several rivals have alternated between strong performances and mistakes or slumps, the Mercedes driver has managed to stay consistently at the top, demonstrating a maturity surprising for his age: “He’s the only one who consistently stays at the top; the others make mistakes and are sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Antonelli, on the other hand, has always been up there and fully deserves this title, which no one can take away from him,” Rosberg added.

Despite his praise for Antonelli and his performance this season, Rosberg hasn’t changed his mind about who he considers the absolute best driver on the starting grid. For the former world champion, in fact, Max Verstappen remains the benchmark in Formula 1: “Max remains the best driver in this sport,” said Rosberg, also pointing to the competitiveness of the car as a key factor in the Dutchman’s performance.