Sebastian Vettel has praised Kimi Antonelli for the maturity and mental strength he is displaying at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 championship, arguing that the Mercedes driver fully deserves his position as the championship leader. Despite a difficult weekend in Baku, Kimi Antonelli heads to Malaysia with a 66-point advantage over team-mate George Russell and eight Grands Prix remaining.
The gap is not yet decisive, but it is large enough to leave the young Italian in a commanding position in the Formula 1 driver standings. If Kimi Antonelli completes the job, he would become the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history, taking that record away from Sebastian Vettel himself.
The four-time world champion does not appear troubled by that possibility. Quite the opposite: Sebastian Vettel has emerged as one of the strongest admirers of what Kimi Antonelli is achieving during only his second Formula 1 season.
Sebastian Vettel impressed by Kimi Antonelli’s handling of title pressure
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Sport after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel highlighted above all the way Kimi Antonelli has coped with the pressure of fighting for a world championship at such an early stage of his career.
“I don’t think there are many words to describe the form he has shown and his strength this year,” Sebastian Vettel said of Kimi Antonelli, “especially after a first season that, all things considered, was decent. Then again, that is what you expect when you arrive in Formula 1 at 18: there are so many completely different aspects.”
Kimi Antonelli’s progress has been particularly striking because of how quickly he has adapted to the demands surrounding an F1 driver beyond simply extracting performance from the car.
“Driving the car is perhaps the easiest part,” Sebastian Vettel explained. “Then you have to learn to work with the team, deal with such a large group of engineers and manage the endless possibilities Formula 1 offers. There is therefore a significant period of adaptation.”
“This year he has shown a sudden step forward: he seemed to mature a lot over the winter break. Obviously the car is more competitive, but watching his performance – not only compared with George, but also the way he has dealt with the pressure and the different situations – has been really fascinating.”
The competitiveness of the Mercedes package has been a major part of the 2026 championship picture, with the Mercedes W17 establishing itself as the benchmark during much of the campaign. Sebastian Vettel, however, believes Kimi Antonelli’s own development has been equally significant.
Kimi Antonelli’s Baku response earns Sebastian Vettel praise
Even Kimi Antonelli’s most difficult weekend of the season impressed Sebastian Vettel in certain respects. The Italian described Baku as his “worst” weekend of the year after making an error in qualifying, but recovered in the race to limit the damage to his championship advantage.
George Russell’s victory reduced the gap between the two Mercedes drivers to 66 points, but Kimi Antonelli remains firmly in control of his own championship position with eight rounds still to run.
“He deserves to be leading the championship,” Sebastian Vettel concluded. “It’s not as if he has had that many lucky races. And in Baku I think he kept calm. After the mistake in qualifying, he managed to recover, even though perhaps we would have expected a little more from him; we thought it would be a little easier to come back through the field.”
“On the other hand, you could see it with the final battle between George and Max as well: the gaps were much smaller than we expected after free practice.”
Kimi Antonelli now moves on to Sepang still holding a substantial advantage over George Russell, with the Malaysian circuit hosting the next round of the championship. The unfamiliar venue will present a very different challenge after Baku, with the full 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang schedule and circuit guide setting out Formula 1’s return to Malaysia.
For Sebastian Vettel, however, the most impressive part of Kimi Antonelli’s season is already clear. The Mercedes driver is not simply benefiting from a competitive car; he has shown the ability to manage mistakes, expectations and the pressure of leading a Formula 1 World Championship while still only in his second season at the highest level.
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