The rival Verstappen needs - our verdict on Antonelli's F1 title
Kimi Antonelli is Formula 1's youngest-ever world champion, aged just 20 and in only his second season on the grid.
Here's what we make of his achievement and his 2026 performance, our ripostes to some of his critics, and what we're hoping to see from Antonelli next.
Don't be swayed by the 'dominant car' narrative
Edd Straw
There was never any doubt about Antonelli's pace potential, but for him to win the championship with few major errors is remarkable.
Aside from crashing in FP3 in Australia and clipping the inside wall at Turn 1 in Baku qualifying, he's been remarkably clean for a young driver in only his second season.
Yes, there are still rough edges to smooth out, as exhibited by his tendency to flirt dangerously with track limits. But that's something he's working on, and Austin showed he's making progress. And as he tidies up these aspects of his game and bolts it on to his underlying pace and the almost Fernando Alonso-esque relentlessness he can show in races he will become increasingly formidable.
That's what is remarkable about Antonelli's achievement. He's nowhere near the finished article he will become with more experience, but even in this unrefined form he's performed outstandingly.
Don't be fooled by the narrative some will spin about the crushing dominance of the Mercedes.
Yes, it's been the strongest all-round package, but team-mate George Russell's struggles prove that getting the best out of it and adapting to the new regulations is not easy. And Antonelli put an enormous amount of work into doing so on top of any advantage he may have had in default driving style over Russell.
Verstappen finally has a potential equal
Josh Suttill
It felt like Max Verstappen had been F1's benchmark driver ever since the early 2020s; in particular, once he defeated Lewis Hamilton in 2021, it felt like a real changing of the guard from one benchmark driver to another.
Nobody got close to challenging Verstappen for the title of best driver of the season in the ground effect era; even last year, Verstappen was a step above world champion Lando Norris.
But, finally, 2026 has given us a driver who could challenge that in Antonelli. Antonelli is devastatingly fast like Verstappen, but while it's far too early to say he's overtaken Verstappen as F1's benchmark driver he can certainly challenge him for the status of 2026's benchmark driver.
All we can hope for now is that Antonelli and Verstappen have comparable title-challenging machinery next year.
We know Antonelli has Russell covered, so just like Verstappen going up against Hamilton - who in turn had gone up against Alonso, who in turn had gone up against Michael Schumacher - Antonelli going up against Verstappen in similar cars would tell us just how much of an F1 great he's shaping up to be.
Don't hold the 2026 cars against him
Scott Mitchell-Malm
Antonelli is an impressive, deserving champion who has made a remarkable step that's surprised everybody including Mercedes in his second season.
I've seen some derogatory commentary about his campaign, as completely new regulations and stupidly complex engines have skewed the pecking order from the past. The implication is that Antonelli's season is less impressive because these cars are...worse, than before? That the cars have to be driven a certain way, the engines do weird things, and so on.
There's truth in those statements individually. But how can this be held against Antonelli? Russell's had the same chance, it hasn't gone for him. It doesn't go for most drivers, most seasons. Verstappen's ridiculously good 2023 season isn't undermined by the fact nobody got near Red Bull over the course of the season - it's a title that counts as much as the rest of them.
What I will admit is it does leave a little question mark over Antonelli's capacity to repeat the feat in a different ruleset. But he doesn't need to for this title to still be respected! He got the chance, he did the job brilliantly. This championship is his on merit.
Will he win more? If he does, as the rules change, he will obliterate any supposed asterisks anyone may want to impose on 2026. If he doesn't, he'll always have one championship trophy that'll offer plenty of consolation.
Team-mate comparison says it all
Gary Anderson
In Antonelli we have a very worthy F1 champion, and with four races left this season he can now just enjoy being the first Italian to win the F1 championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Also the fact he has become the youngest ever F1 champion at just 20 years old just shows that it's now become more of a Game Boy championship.
That said, seeing Hamilton achieving a fantastic pole position, his 105th and at 41 the oldest driver to do so since Mario Andretti at Monza in 1982 (coincidently also in a Ferrari) just shows that experience, as long as you tap into it, never goes to waste.
Kimi has in reality dominated the season. Yes, there were a couple of small errors here and there, but in his consistency he has been second to none.
In reality you can only be judged against your team-mate. They drive the same car with the same team philosophy and against Russell he has shown he really understands why he is where he is.
Can he do it again next year? I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
Sympathy for Russell
Jack Benyon
I can't help but feel sorry for Russell.
This is a deserved championship for Antonelli - no exceptions. He's been phenomenal. And had I not known the amount of praise Antonelli will inevitably receive, I wouldn't have broached this alternative topic. But he has, so I can.
This was supposed to be the year Russell was building towards and had put in the hard-yards apprenticeship for. I wouldn't mind if the rules tested the drivers to the maximum and Russell came out on top, but they just aren't doing so.
That means I have a feeling of unfulfillment that we didn't get an actual, proper Russell/Antonelli battle in machinery that tests the drivers and not the batteries.
We'll probably have to wait for 2030 for that. And Max may well win the next championships until then!
