People must stop treating Kimi Antonelli as a teenage novelty and recognise him as an established top-tier racer, according to former W Series driver and Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Naomi Schiff.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast alongside Will Buxton and David Coulthard ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Schiff evaluated Antonelli’s standout performances during the first half of his second season in the championship.
The Mercedes driver currently leads the drivers’ standings, holding a 50-point advantage over second-placed Lewis Hamilton.
Despite the Brackley outfit taking a gamble by promoting Antonelli at a young age to replace Hamilton as the seven-time champion moved to Ferrari, Schiff argued that the Italian driver’s consistent performances mean his ongoing title charge should no longer be met with disbelief.
“There’s something that we see in his body language. It’s like he doesn’t seem to have the same kind of baggage or weight on his shoulders as some of the drivers around him,” Schiff explained.
“And that obviously does come with his age. It comes with the fact that he’s only in his second season in Formula 1. And that he isn’t really in a position maybe that George is, where it’s kind of like, ‘OK, buddy, what’s going on here? We really need you to start delivering these victories for us to justify your position in the team.’
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“Whereas Kimi’s very much in the early stages of his career. They’ve taken a big bet on him. It’s paying off, and that definitely plays in his favour. But I think we also need to come to a point now where we stop looking at him like this young kid, like, ‘Wow, how is he doing this?’
“He’s doing it. He’s been doing it, and he’s proving that he can do it now. And of course those two things can coexist, but I’m going to be less surprised if he keeps up this form.
“I’d be more surprised if George wasn’t able to turn his situation around because again, he’s a driver coming into the season that we had really high hopes for, and it just hasn’t worked out for him in that way.
“I know Lewis is sandwiched in the middle of them there, and we’re not going to exclude him in this battle, but that would be the thing that would surprise me most is if George doesn’t turn this around.”
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