Briatore advises Russell to 'wake up' during the Antonelli pursuit.

      Flavio Briatore acknowledges that he significantly underestimated Kimi Antonelli. The Alpine executive has joined other prominent figures in Formula 1 to commend the 19-year-old Italian following his fifth consecutive grand prix victory in Monaco. "What sort of driver, what a phenomenon is it to win five Grands Prix in a row at just 19?" he remarked. Briatore admitted that his first impression of Antonelli was misleading. "The first time I saw Kimi last year, he looked like a little kid," he noted. "It was hard to believe that such a young boy could possess the courage and determination he has. He was truly underestimated."

      Briatore drew a comparison between Antonelli’s early image and that of MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi. "He showed up with those little curls peeking out from under his cap," he chuckled. "He reminds me a bit of Valentino Rossi at the start of his career. We all thought he was a good driver because Toto did an amazing job. Toto went and discovered Kimi." The Italian confessed that he initially attributed Antonelli’s achievements to Mercedes’ superior car, as he had been performing fairly alongside Russell in 2025. "He was consistently just behind his teammate," Briatore commented.

      However, the five consecutive wins this season have completely changed his perspective. "One victory can happen," Briatore stated. "You might get lucky. In the second race, perhaps you benefited from some red flags. Anything can occur. But now he’s won five Grands Prix out of five." Briatore was particularly impressed with Antonelli’s restart against Lewis Hamilton in Monaco. "When we restarted on the grid, with Hamilton next to him—and Hamilton is known for good starts... It could have been Ferrari’s moment, their chance to win. Instead, he showed his killer instinct. What he did was astonishing. Absolutely incredible. Hats off."

      Briatore mentioned that he has even given the championship leader a nickname. "I call him Ricciolino (curly)," he laughed. "I like him a lot. You have to treat him with care because you can tell he’s still a kid. But when he puts on the helmet, he transforms into a beast." The 76-year-old believes that the title race now centers around Antonelli. "He is genuinely the one everyone needs to beat to secure the world championship." He also had a direct message for Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell, who is now 68 points behind. "Russell needs a serious wake-up call," Briatore asserted. "And I’m convinced I was mistaken. I never anticipated Kimi would be this strong and determined. He doesn’t make mistakes anymore. He gets everything right. He’s another phenomenon."