The 2016 Formula 1 champion, Nico Rosberg, has expressed his surprise at the maturity that Kimi Antonelli has demonstrated during the 2026 season. Antonelli has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship with his eighth victory of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, placing him 81 points ahead of his teammate, George Russell, who is in second position.
In statements to Sky Sports F1 after the race in Madrid, Rosberg made comparisons between Antonelli’s current mindset and the extreme pressure he experienced during his championship year in 2016. “We are all human. He is not superhuman,” Rosberg commented. “I was terrified and struggled to drive properly. As the end of the season approached, it was impossible for me to win races or get pole, because my brain was saturated with fear of losing my dream with a stupid mistake or with something that could easily happen.”
Rosberg added that, although Antonelli must feel this pressure at some point, his performance so far is impressive. “Even Toto Wolff can’t believe it,” he said.
At just 20 years old, Antonelli has become the youngest to lead the standings, achieving back-to-back victories at the Chinese Grand Prix and the Japanese Grand Prix. Meanwhile, his teammate, Russell, has seen his trajectory marked by a complicated period at Mercedes, which has enhanced Antonelli’s competitive maturity.
Wolff, the head of the Mercedes team, described Antonelli as “calm as a cucumber” in his statements to Sky Sports F1. “Sometimes he is too calm! When he hits the wall five laps from the end and asks about the car’s condition, you think ‘really, again, white lines, walls,’ but maybe that’s what keeps him in the zone,” Wolff added.
Antonelli’s maturity and his ability to manage pressure are raising expectations at a time in his career when he is preparing for intense competition to achieve his first world champion title.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
