Max Verstappen jokes about key difference with Kimi Antonelli at 20: “He speaks Italian!”

Following the Mexico Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has entered the history books as Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion. The Italian has taken the record from Sebastian Vettel, who had already said at Monza that he would be delighted for Antonelli to break it and that records are there to be broken.

Under the current superlicence rules, it will be an enormous challenge to lower Antonelli’s record (20 years, two months and seven days) any further, as someone would have to clinch a maiden world title while a teenager.

All of this underlines just how special Antonelli’s achievement is, although Verstappen gave a rather matter-of-fact response shortly before the Italian secured the title when asked what exactly sets the Mercedes protege apart from most young drivers: “More talent.”

Asked whether it really is that simple, the four-time world champion continued: “Well, that certainly helps a lot. And of course, he’s also had proper guidance from a very young age with his father. His dad knows a lot more about racing than the average father, and if your son then has a huge amount of talent, that already helps a lot.”

Alongside Marco Antonelli’s guidance, there is naturally also the trust and support of Mercedes, something Antonelli himself regularly highlights. Team principal Toto Wolff has always stood by his protege, even during the difficult moments last year, and with the experienced Peter Bonnington among those working alongside him, Antonelli could hardly wish for a better environment.

When Verstappen is asked what quality Antonelli possesses that Verstappen himself did not have at the age of 20, the Dutchman raises a laugh by responding with a completely straight face: “Well, he speaks Italian…”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / LAT Images via Getty Images

Aside from the fact that Verstappen’s Italian vocabulary is significantly less impressive, the Red Bull driver stresses that the two situations cannot really be compared.

“You can’t compare it. I started in Formula 1 when I was 17, and for a very long time I wasn’t driving a car with which I could fight for the championship,” Verstappen said. “That was obviously the biggest problem, but the fact that Kimi is doing so well at that age is very impressive.”

With those words, Verstappen is naturally referring to his start at Toro Rosso and his first years at Red Bull, which were particularly difficult because of the underperforming Renault engine. As a result, Verstappen could only fight for individual race wins and did not have the machinery to challenge for the title for the first time until 2021, his seventh F1 season.

Although the preceding years were understandably frustrating because of the lack of competitive machinery, they did give the Dutchman the opportunity to develop relatively away from the spotlight. According to Verstappen, Antonelli did not have that opportunity because he stepped straight into a top team.

“I think last year was difficult for him at certain moments. But of course, you learn from that as well, and those things also need to happen to grow. That’s normal in a rookie season,” Verstappen said.

“When you drive for a top team, everything gets scrutinised more closely. You can’t really develop away from the spotlight, but he handled that very well heading into this year. He was right there from the very beginning of this season.”

Aside from Antonelli’s qualities as a driver, Verstappen considers one other aspect even more important: how the 20-year-old Italian conducts himself as a person and how he is seemingly unaffected by fame. Antonelli is down-to-earth, and Verstappen says that is what he appreciates most: “He’s just a normal guy. He doesn’t act like he’s a rock star or a superstar. He’s just very genuine. He has a good heart, and I really appreciate that.”

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– The Motorsport.com Team