Nico Rosberg calls World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli the ‘ultimate underdog’. The young Italian took the lead in the championship with two consecutive wins in Shanghai and Suzuka; teammate George Russell follows in second place. However, the season is still long and several veterans doubt whether Antonelli can withstand the pressure of a title fight. Eddie Irvine, however, is convinced that the Italian can prevail, although he also expects some incidents.
Read more Schedule qualifying races | What time does Max Verstappen race at the Nürburgring
A new title fight is looming in Formula 1. Within the Mercedes ranks, a new Silver War threatens to break out – à la Hamilton versus Rosberg. George Russell, the big favorite before the new F1 season, started strong with a victory in Melbourne. However, his younger teammate, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, won in China and Japan and now leads the championship by nine points over the Englishman. Among former drivers, there is division over Antonelli’s title chances.
Juan Pablo Montoya previously stated that Antonelli is ‘too young’ to make a bid for the world championship; he lacks the years of experience of Russell. This week, Robert Kubica also made a notable statement. The Polish ex-F1 driver sees Antonelli as a title contender but simultaneously urged him to fully focus on the championship. “I see him occasionally doing too much nonsense on Instagram,” he responded sternly.
Read more General rehearsal! Follow the Nürburgring qualifying races of Max Verstappen live here
Ultimate underdog
Nico Rosberg, who won the title with Mercedes in 2016, is curious how the current season will turn out. He also hints that he might have a slight preference for Antonelli. “What a great story,” the German exclaimed to Bloomberg in San Francisco. “The 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, the ultimate underdog, is leading the world championship after three races. It’s fantastic, he has so many fans. Even yesterday here at a press conference: there were a lot of Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli fans when I walked onto the podium. That’s nice to see.”
Eddie Irvine, who narrowly missed the title with Ferrari in 1999, mainly expects new incidents between the two Mercedes drivers. “Antonelli is a serious title contender, but it’s still too early to make predictions about how the season will end,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I am one hundred percent sure there will be incidents,” Irvine responded when asked. “The stakes are too high and the drivers are evenly matched. That’s why Toto Wolff cannot intervene with team orders. He has already experienced very tense situations when Lewis Hamilton fought with Nico Rosberg, and later with Max Verstappen. During that last duel, there was already the serious accident at Silverstone.”
Read more Falling viewing figures GP Japan fuel discussion about new F1 regulations
Read everything about GP Miami here
