Kimi Antonelli Chasing F1 History as Sport’s Own Chief Calls Teenager an ‘Incredible Asset’

• Stefano Domenicali says Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli is proving to be an “incredible asset” for Formula 1 as he leads the 2026 championship
• The 19-year-old is chasing the record to become the sport’s youngest world champion, with two retirements this season the only thing keeping his points lead from being even bigger
• Domenicali also said he “really hopes” Max Verstappen stays in the sport amid ongoing speculation about the four-time champion’s future

Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali has described championship leader Kimi Antonelli as an “incredible asset” for the sport, praising the teenager’s rise as he chases the record to become the youngest world champion in F1 history.

Antonelli, who turned 19 in his rookie season last year, leads the 2026 drivers’ championship having already taken six Grand Prix victories, the most recent coming at the Belgian Grand Prix before Formula 1’s summer break.

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He’s Fresh, He’s Very Open

Domenicali described what makes Antonelli stand out beyond his results. “He’s fresh, he is still very new and very open to any kind of things that are happening to him,” he said. “He has brought a lot of new fans connected to him, because the nature of his way of engaging is fantastic. On the sport side, he has proven to be very strong.”

He pointed to the gap Antonelli has opened up even with two mechanical failures already this season. “Don’t forget that, without the two DNFs related to problems on the car, the championship for him would be an even a bigger gap,” Domenicali said. “He’s proven to be very solid.”

A Boost for Italian Fans

Domenicali, who is Italian himself, said Antonelli’s success means more back home given how long it has gone without producing a title challenger of its own. “As you can imagine for the Italian fans, it’s even more important,” he said. “The last Italian driver that won something important was many, many years ago. Therefore, he’s added a new dimension.”

He also touched on Antonelli’s relationship with the rest of the grid. “The relationship today with the other drivers is fantastic,” Domenicali said. “The relationship may be different, of course, if we start winning the championship, but that’s the nature of our sport. But as I said, I can only be very happy with the way that he’s engaged with our sport.

“I’ve known him for many years, and he’s an incredible asset for the future and what we’re doing together.”

Domenicali “Really Hopes” Verstappen Stays

Should Antonelli go on to win the title this year, he would join Max Verstappen among F1’s world champions, even with Verstappen’s own season not going to plan so far. Domenicali said he remains hopeful the four-time champion stays at Red Bull beyond this year, amid continued speculation over his future.

“Max is an incredible driver,” Domenicali said. “He loves Formula 1. I have an incredible relationship with him. My opinion is that Max will stay with us, and I really hope so.”

A Positive Outlook for the Second Half

Domenicali said he is upbeat about the mid-season restart. “The championship is becoming very, very fascinating,” he said. “There is a lot of action on the track. People are loving it.”

Looking back at how the season has developed from the opening race in Australia, the first under Formula 1’s new technical rules, he added that the evolution from that first race has been “just phenomenal.”

He called the Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort’s last event on the calendar, a “moment to celebrate,” and said he expects an “incredible event” at Monza in Italy, where Antonelli will have his first home race weekend after becoming a Grand Prix winner, with a first Madrid round following just a week after that.

Antonelli’s Record Chase

Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the world championship in Formula 1 history at 19 years old, and Domenicali’s comments come with the teenager still chasing the record to become the sport’s youngest world champion. His run of six wins this year has come alongside two retirements caused by problems with his car, the gap Domenicali pointed to when he said the championship lead would be even larger without them.

Domenicali’s assessment lines up with how Sky Sports rated Antonelli’s first half of the year in its own end-of-term driver ratings, scoring him 9 out of 10 for his season so far. “Without doubt Antonelli has been the best driver so far this season and deserves to have a solid lead in the championship after five wins on the spin, followed by a sixth in Belgium,” the broadcaster wrote. “We should not forget he’s only in his second F1 campaign at 19 years old and he has shown incredible speed, with very few mistakes. His performance at the Monaco Grand Prix in particular was outstanding.”

Fan Numbers Growing Alongside the Title Fight

Domenicali’s comments come as Formula 1 continues to report record crowds at its events this year, a trend he linked to the closeness of the competition on track. With the fanbase continuing to grow, he described the sport as being in a “really great” place heading into the second half of the season.

He said the sport’s evolution from the introduction of its new technical rules at the start of 2026 had caught out those who wrote off the title race before it began. “I remember very well at the beginning of the year, some were saying, ‘The championship is already finished, we’ll have a Mercedes dominating the season, it’s game over’,” he said. “Actually, it’s not the truth. There are still a lot of things that will happen up to the end of the year. There will be more teams that will be able to fight for the win. There will be more drivers where it will be possible for them to be the winner.”

Formula 1 resumes after the summer break with a Sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21-23.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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