Kimi Antonelli identifies his main rival for 2027

Celebrations for the World Championship victory are still underway, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli is already looking ahead to the 2027 World Championship, when he’ll be called upon to defend the incredible title he won this season at just 20 years old. In an interview with Sky, the Mercedes driver has no doubts about who his number one rival will be next season.

“If I had to pick one driver, I’d say Max Verstappen: he’s the one who could cause the most trouble. But I think next year there will be a very close battle among all of us, among all the top teams, because we’re already very close. Red Bull, too, with all the updates it has introduced, has continued to improve,” Kimi explained.

“It would be fantastic to have a battle among all of us from the top teams, including Lewis, Charles, my teammate, Max, and Lando. I think it’ll be a very close battle next season,” Antonelli continued.

After a difficult first half of the season, Verstappen has finished on the podium in ten of the last eleven races, winning three of them, and is now in second place in the overall standings.

Kimi’s title was mathematically secured at the Mexican Grand Prix, where Antonelli finished third in a chaotic race. Joining him on the podium were Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who finished second in his Ferrari. With this result, Kimi became the youngest world champion in F1 history and the first Italian to do so since Alberto Ascari, 73 years after his 1953 victory.

The season isn’t over yet: the World Championship resumes with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend of November 22, followed by the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which have been confirmed by F1 officials and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem despite concerns over the delicate situation in the Middle East.