Kimi Antonelli has admitted that even he is surprised by the warmth Max Verstappen has shown towards him, while revealing that he would like to compete in a 24-hour race alongside the four-time Formula 1 world champion. The Mercedes driver also offered an insight into the Max Verstappen he has come to know away from the track, describing him as very different from the impression he can sometimes give from the outside.
The relationship between Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen has attracted attention since last season. Despite being rivals on track, the Dutchman has repeatedly appeared to have a soft spot for the young Italian, something Antonelli himself openly acknowledged ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Kimi Antonelli surprised by Max Verstappen friendship
One notable moment came in Austria, when Kimi Antonelli made a mistake under braking into Turn 3 at the start and took Max Verstappen out of the race. Verstappen was understandably frustrated over the radio, but his reaction was directed at the incident in general because he did not initially know who had caused the collision.
Despite that clash, the relationship between the two drivers remained strong. Max Verstappen has continued to show particular respect towards Antonelli, even as the Mercedes youngster has established himself as one of the leading figures of the 2026 season.
Speaking at an event in Milan organised by Mercedes sponsor IWC ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli admitted he does not fully understand why Max Verstappen has taken such a liking to him.
“I don’t know exactly why he’s taken to me so well, but I’m not complaining. It’s always better to have him on your side,” Kimi Antonelli said, in comments reported by Umberto Zapelloni on his topspeedblog.it blog.
“Max is a really great person. Once you get to know him, he’s very different from how he might appear from the outside. My goal is to do a 24-hour race with him.”
Kimi Antonelli calls Max Verstappen one of the best in F1
Kimi Antonelli also offered a glowing assessment of Max Verstappen’s abilities behind the wheel, describing the Red Bull driver as one of the strongest competitors on the current Formula 1 grid.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best on the grid right now,” Kimi Antonelli added. “He’s fast, strong, complete and, above all, in difficult situations he always manages to turn everything around.”
That resilience, according to Antonelli, is one of the qualities that makes Max Verstappen especially difficult to race against. Even when a weekend appears to be going badly, the Mercedes driver believes Verstappen can never be discounted.
“You can never write him off. Even when his weekend looks difficult, at some point he manages to come out of it.”
Max Verstappen has endured a more challenging 2026 season with Red Bull, with the RB22 proving harder to exploit consistently and new weaknesses making it more difficult for him to extract his usual level of performance. Even so, Antonelli believes his ability to recover from difficult situations remains exceptional.
Why racing Max Verstappen feels like a horror film
Antonelli also explained why having Max Verstappen either ahead or behind is an uncomfortable situation for any rival.
“Having him in front of you or behind you is terrible at the same time, because overtaking him is extremely difficult, while when he’s behind you, sooner or later you know you’ll see him in your mirrors again even if you think you’ve pulled away from him. It’s like in horror films.”
The remark reflects the respect Antonelli has for a driver who remains one of Formula 1’s biggest benchmarks. Fans can follow the latest developments surrounding Max Verstappen and his 2026 season as Red Bull continues to work through its current challenges.
For Kimi Antonelli, however, the relationship extends beyond their Formula 1 rivalry. His ambition to contest a 24-hour race alongside Max Verstappen shows that the connection between the two drivers has developed well beyond simple mutual respect on the grid.
