Kimi Antonelli could get “more and more panicked” in F1 title fight, says Nico Rosberg
Kimi Antonelli could become “more and more panicked” in his bid for the 2026 Formula 1 championship if upgrades from McLaren and Ferrari drag him back into the pack, warns 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg.
The Mercedes driver currently holds an 81-point advantage in the standings over his team-mate George Russell, who sits second. He extended his lead with a victory at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit, capitalising on a well-timed virtual safety car.
While speaking to the media after the race, Antonelli admitted that it was not the way he would like to win and that if it had not been for the virtual safety car, McLaren’s Lando Norris would likely have taken the victory.
During an appearance on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Rosberg drew parallels to the end of his own championship battle in 2016.
“The worst-case scenario is if suddenly McLaren starts to edge away and maybe there’s also a Ferrari improvement or something, and that Kimi starts to drop back into the pack a little bit more.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
“That is similar to where I was in my championship year because I started to, because I was not driving as well. I started to drop back into the pack in those last four races.
“I was always at some point, even in Mexico, in qualifying until the last moment. I was actually only sixth in the rankings in Q3 until the last moment. In each of those races, I was P3 at some point, and not P2 and [Max] Verstappen was banging into me like every single race.
“So if he were to drop back into the pack ever so slightly again, the risk just comes up, and you start to get more and more panicked about things.”
The upcoming 15th round of the 2026 season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, will take place from 24-26 September.
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