Kimi Raikkonen no-nonsense about Kimi Antonelli: "He won’t fall for it"
Kimi applauds Kimi: former Ferrari driver Raikkonen in an interview with Quotidiano Sportivo spoke about Andrea Kimi Antonelli, author of an incredible start to the World Championship with four consecutive victories and the first place in the overall standings. The former Finnish driver admitted that he follows the young man’s performance with some sympathy: “It amuses me that he bears the same name as me, although I think I understand it’s a trivial coincidence. He’s certainly really good.”
“Obviously in Formula 1 you don’t win four consecutive grand prix if you don’t possess a special talent. Antonelli’s numbers are feat. It is crucial to have the right car, but it has always been like that in all eras. He can win the title and he believes in it, you can see it from the way he faces the races, from the spirit he puts into it.”
Raikkonen does not believe that his young age and inexperience can cause a drop in the continuation of the World Championship, as happened to Piastri in 2025: “He will have to avoid imitating the Piastri of 2025, at one point the Australian seemed to have the title in his pocket but he could not handle the pressure. Kimi will not fall into the same trap, he will not lose concentration.”
The Italian driver’s performance is not leaving foreign observers indifferent either. Across the Channel, the specialized website The Race called his progress “staggering,” pointing out that Antonelli seems “fundamentally in control of qualifying and the race with these regulations,” adding that he is “a very different driver from the young man on whom Russell had had a comfortable lead for most of last season.” A growth that took by surprise those who, at the start of the World Championship, took the Briton’s supremacy for granted.
Also keeping attention high is the question of team orders. After the Canadian Grand Prix, Wolff hinted that the freedom to duel granted so far to the two drivers may not be unlimited: “In some situations where we consider the situation critical there may be,” the Austrian team principal said.
