Eddie Irvine: Antonelli is a real contender for the title.

      Eddie Irvine, a former Formula 1 driver who once raced for Ferrari and later became a quite successful businessman, doesn't often share his opinion on what happens on the World Championship tracks. Moreover, his judgments are usually quite sharp, but this time in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the Irishman was rather restrained...

      Question: Do you think Kimi Antonelli can become world champion? Eddie Irvine: I first heard about him from Luca Baldisserri, who was my engineer at Ferrari. He followed his performances in the junior series and said that Kimi is an incredibly talented driver. I must admit, he was right. There hasn't been a driver of such caliber in Italy for a long time. Antonelli is a real contender for the title, although it's too early to predict how this season will end.

      Question: In the past, rivalries between teammates have often ended in crashes. Could history repeat itself with Antonelli and George Russell? Eddie Irvine: I am 100% sure of that. The stakes are too high, and these drivers are competing at a similar level, and Toto Wolff should not interfere and apply team tactics. In the past, he has been in quite difficult situations when Lewis Hamilton competed with Nico Rosberg, and later with Max Verstappen. In the latter case, these two drivers were involved in a rather unpleasant incident at Silverstone (in 2021).

      In my opinion, the seven-time world champion can be considered one of the examples of correctness, but then the Dutchman angered him because he acted like a young bull.

      Question: Is Ferrari capable of competing for the championship win? Eddie Irvine: This is always a very difficult question. The problem is that Ferrari is based in Italy, which is very far from the world of Formula 1, the center of which is in the UK. However, compared to last year, I think they will be able to achieve at least one victory in 2026.

      Question: Has Lewis Hamilton really returned to his former level? Eddie Irvine: I wouldn't say that. In China, he stood on the podium with Ferrari for the first time after the Grand Prix, but that track suits him. However, in Japan, Charles Leclerc was ahead of him all weekend.

      Question: There have been very serious reforms in Formula 1, some of the most radical in the history of the championship. What do you think about the new regulations? Eddie Irvine: I absolutely do not like it. It definitely needs to be adjusted somehow – everything cannot depend solely on the level of residual charge in the battery of a particular car. I like electric cars; I have four of them myself, but I believe there is no point in making a premium category of motorsport environmentally friendly. And the new generation cars are simply dangerous.

      Question: Are you talking about Oliver Berman's crash in Japan? Eddie Irvine: Yes, because the speed of his Haas was much higher than that of Franco Colapinto's Alpine, and Berman had to dodge to avoid a collision. It reminded me of the crash that occurred in Japanese Formula 3000 in 1992, which cost Hitoshi Ogawa his life. Fortunately, this time the cars did not collide.

      Question: Max Verstappen is very critical of the new regulations: do you think he could really leave Formula 1? Eddie Irvine: Formula 1 will manage without Max; there are plenty of talented drivers in the championship without him. He doesn't like that he is now fighting for positions in the midfield, but considering that his salary exceeds 50 million euros, he has every reason to stay.