Max Verstappen says he never had any doubts about Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 potential and has urged people not to place unnecessary pressure on the young Mercedes driver. The four-time world champion has become one of Kimi Antonelli’s strongest supporters and believes the Italian has always possessed something that made him stand out from other young talents.
When Kimi Antonelli went through the first genuinely difficult period of his Formula 1 career, plenty of people began to question him. During the summer of 2025, Toto Wolff’s bold decision to promote the Bologna-born youngster was increasingly portrayed as a gamble that risked damaging his career.
A few months later, however, the Mercedes Team Principal had been largely vindicated. Kimi Antonelli was ready to make the next step, and the difficult middle part of his 2025 campaign provided valuable lessons that have helped him during the championship he is now leading.
Max Verstappen says he never doubted Kimi Antonelli
One person who never appeared to lose faith in Kimi Antonelli was Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, himself regarded as one of the outstanding talents of his generation, has developed a close relationship with the Mercedes youngster and has consistently backed his ability.
Their friendship has continued to grow away from the circuit as well, with Kimi Antonelli previously revealing his close bond with Max Verstappen and even discussing the possibility of competing together in a 24-hour race.
Max Verstappen’s belief did not disappear even when Kimi Antonelli’s inexperience directly affected him, most notably when the Italian made a mistake at the start of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix and collided with the Red Bull driver.
“Kimi didn’t surprise me at all. I knew he was driving for a top team and he was making his debut. Especially with the previous generation of cars, it was very difficult for young drivers to jump in and immediately be fast. I never had any doubts about him,” Max Verstappen said.
Verstappen: Kimi Antonelli has always been more special
Kimi Antonelli’s development has accelerated significantly since that difficult rookie campaign. Max Verstappen believes his current performances demonstrate the qualities that had already been visible much earlier in his career.
“Obviously, you never know how much a driver is going to improve from one season to the next. But he’s beating his team-mate and he’s doing a great job. It’s nice to see that you can be like that at that age.”
“I think it’s something you can already notice when they’re young, but Kimi has always been a little more special than the others,” Max Verstappen added.
The setbacks of 2025 have also become an important part of Kimi Antonelli’s development. The Mercedes driver has himself explained how his Monza accident and difficult periods in 2025 helped make him stronger for his current Formula 1 campaign.
Max Verstappen tells people to leave Kimi Antonelli alone
Max Verstappen also believes Kimi Antonelli has reached a stage where he does not require advice from more experienced drivers. Instead, the Dutchman says the most important thing is allowing him to work without excessive external pressure.
“I don’t think I need to give him any advice, he doesn’t need it. What he’s doing at the moment is perfect. All he needs is to have no pressure. Leave him alone, let him do what he’s capable of. He’s really good, he’ll figure out how to do it.”
In that respect, Kimi Antonelli has the benefit of developing within a Mercedes environment that has consistently tried to protect him. Toto Wolff was among the first to defend the Italian after his mistake during his first Formula 1 race weekend appearance, when he crashed in FP1 at Monza in 2024.
The Mercedes boss has also repeatedly asked the Italian media not to place excessive expectations on Kimi Antonelli. That approach is now being echoed by Max Verstappen, whose message is equally straightforward: the talent is already there, and the best thing Formula 1 can do is give Kimi Antonelli the space to continue developing.
His progress has already transformed the competitive picture at Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli’s performances becoming a major factor in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. For Max Verstappen, however, the emergence of the Italian as a front-running driver is no surprise at all.
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