Luigi Mazzola believes Kimi Antonelli is not yet an F1 champion despite entering the summer break at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 standings with six victories and a 50-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton. The former Ferrari engineer has praised the Mercedes driver’s extraordinary talent and rapid development but insists that sustained success and a world title are required before he can be compared with Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher or Max Verstappen.
Kimi Antonelli heads into the first extended break of the season with what effectively amounts to a two-Grand-Prix advantage over his closest championship rival, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. However, a 50-point lead can disappear quickly in Formula 1, leaving the young Italian with a considerable amount of work still to complete during the second half of the campaign.
That does not detract from how thoroughly Kimi Antonelli deserves his position at the top of the Formula 1 driver standings. His six victories have made the 2006-born driver the clear favourite for the title at this stage, although the road to the championship remains long.
Why Luigi Mazzola will not call Kimi Antonelli an F1 champion yet
Kimi Antonelli is undoubtedly an exceptional driver and a remarkable talent, but Luigi Mazzola believes it is still too early to describe him as a champion. Speaking during an interview with Pit-Talk, the former Ferrari engineer said the Mercedes youngster has displayed extraordinary ability, produced outstanding individual performances and demonstrated an excellent understanding of how races develop.
However, Luigi Mazzola believes comparisons with Formula 1’s historic greats remain premature. Having worked for Ferrari during the Michael Schumacher era, he argued that Kimi Antonelli must first win a world championship before he can be judged alongside Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen.
“There is a difference between saying ‘a phenomenon’ and saying ‘a champion’. A champion has to win, and has to keep winning: that is what makes a champion,” Luigi Mazzola explained. “A phenomenon is someone who can use his talent and produce incredible exploits, therefore doing incredible things.”
“The champions I knew were already established. Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher were already drivers who had won — I did not work with Ayrton Senna, I only knew him — and they had their own mentality, their own approach and their own dedication to the work.”
Kimi Antonelli is beginning to push Mercedes forward
Luigi Mazzola has nevertheless noticed a significant change in Kimi Antonelli during his second Formula 1 season. He suggested that the regulations and a car that is easier to drive and less dependent on individual driving style may have helped, but the Italian’s consistency across every phase of a Grand Prix weekend has been particularly impressive.
“This year, perhaps also helped by the regulations and by a car that is a little easier to drive and less driver-dependent, I see a young man who comes out of free practice and goes to the front, then goes into qualifying and goes to the front, and then competes in the race,” Luigi Mazzola said.
“Over the radio, I hear a driver who is no longer the one needing the team, but someone who, in some way, is pushing the team.”
Mercedes has not always supported that performance with flawless strategic decisions. Luigi Mazzola pointed specifically to the most recent race in Hungary, where Kimi Antonelli still recovered to secure a podium from seventh on the grid and strengthen his championship position.
“Mercedes has made some strategic mistakes. I would say that, even in the latest race, it got something wrong,” Luigi Mazzola continued. “If nothing else, making him complete his pit stop ten laps after the others means losing a huge number of seconds when tyre degradation is so high, unless you intend to go all the way to the finish.”
“But that was not the case, because they then called him into the pits while he was still running strongly.”
Luigi Mazzola praises Kimi Antonelli’s racecraft under pressure
Kimi Antonelli’s response to difficult situations has impressed Luigi Mazzola just as much as his outright speed. The championship leader has become increasingly assertive over the radio while remaining composed when attacked on track.
“He makes himself heard over the radio. When he is attacked on track — there was a point when Lewis Hamilton was attacking him — he does not make mistakes,” Luigi Mazzola observed. “When he has to attack, he attacks and goes for it, and when he has to drive in clean air, he goes.”
“This driver is developing. He feels comfortable with the car, he feels comfortable with the team, the team supports him, and he has annihilated his team-mate. That is the situation today, because it was not like this last year.”
George Russell’s difficult Hungarian Grand Prix included an engine fault that contributed to his disastrous start, while Kimi Antonelli emerged from Budapest with another podium. The contrasting outcomes further strengthened the Italian’s position within Mercedes and in the championship battle.
Antonelli showing traits associated with Formula 1 greats
For Luigi Mazzola, Kimi Antonelli’s dominance over George Russell is one of the strongest indications that the young driver could be progressing towards an elite level. He compared the situation with the superiority that Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Max Verstappen often established over their respective team-mates.
“If this driver has developed in this way, it is one of the elements that suggests a higher level, because Michael Schumacher’s team-mates were never ahead of him,” Luigi Mazzola said. “The same applies to Alain Prost, unless his team-mate was Ayrton Senna, and even more so to Max Verstappen.”
“Therefore, it appears that he is heading in that direction. But before comparing him with them, he must first become a champion. I find it difficult to call him that until he becomes one, and then we can make the comparison.”
Luigi Mazzola’s caution is based on the fact that Kimi Antonelli has neither won a Formula 1 world championship nor had enough time to leave a lasting mark on the sport. The Mercedes driver has nevertheless already broken several records this season, most notably becoming the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead the championship standings.
What has perhaps been most surprising is the maturity Kimi Antonelli has demonstrated in only his second season at the highest level. That could become a decisive factor late in the campaign, when the pressure of the title fight may begin to affect his rivals.
Mercedes wary of placing too much pressure on Kimi Antonelli
George Russell could be among those rivals most vulnerable to that pressure. The British driver is currently being comprehensively beaten by his team-mate and appears to have suffered a significant psychological setback as well.
However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has repeatedly warned against placing too much expectation on Kimi Antonelli. The Austrian believes excessive attention could become a double-edged sword, particularly given the intense scrutiny surrounding Italy’s leading sporting figures.
Toto Wolff has specifically referred to the Italian media’s tendency to elevate home-grown athletes beyond reasonable expectations, sometimes producing the opposite effect to the one intended. Kimi Antonelli therefore needs protection from excessive media pressure and the freedom to experience his current Formula 1 championship lead calmly.
His 50-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton gives him control of the title contest, but Ferrari’s seven-time world champion remains a formidable challenger despite leaving Budapest convinced that Ferrari should have won the Hungarian Grand Prix. For Luigi Mazzola, how Kimi Antonelli handles that battle — and whether he ultimately converts his advantage into a world championship — will determine when the outstanding phenomenon can truly be called a champion.
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