Christian Danner: Antonelli reminds me of Oscar Piastri

      Kimi Antonelli has achieved two consecutive victories and after the first three stages leads the individual standings of the World Championship, which is certainly somewhat surprising and contradicts predictions, as many believed that in 2026 the best chances for this belonged to George Russell, the young Italian's teammate at Mercedes.

      It is said that in Italy, Antonelli is receiving so much attention that it is time to talk about the beginning of "Kimi-mania," however, Christian Danner, a former Formula 1 driver who collaborates as an expert with the Austrian publication Motorsport Magazin, does not believe that Antonelli will be able to maintain this level throughout the season. He does not doubt the talent of the 19-year-old driver, but it is not just about that.

      Christian Danner: "Of course, Antonelli has the talent that he applies wonderfully, except that the starts do not come easy for him. He also exhibits a certain carefree attitude and freedom characteristic of such a young age, but all of this is unlikely to last long.

      We saw the same thing last year with Piastri: as soon as he lost the ability to approach events with that same youthful carefreeness, it immediately affected his results. While Oscar was winning, everything was going great, and Lando Norris faced significant difficulties. But then everything changed, and towards the end of the year, it was sometimes hard to watch him without feeling sympathy."

      Danner doubts that Antonelli will be able to handle the pressure, which will inevitably increase throughout the season: "Throughout the year, many factors will emerge that will affect the balance of power. I believe that there are currently no grounds to worry about Russell. His situation was influenced by the classic difficulties that arise during races.

      George's results were affected by various kinds of interference, bad luck, and of course, a couple of times he made mistakes himself. Most importantly, his car was not set up in the best way, and all of this can happen to anyone. I don't think this will throw Russell off balance.

      As soon as he figures out what is happening, as soon as he understands what is causing the loss of time, he will immediately remember what results he is capable of. I don't think he will suddenly need antidepressants, and it is unlikely that he will continue to lose to his teammate."