Kimi Antonelli's rival Formula 1 drivers should be very worried, he will only get better

That is the assessment of former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, who commented on the 19-year-old Mercedes driver's second campaign in the top flight as he now sits on top of the 2026 F1 Drivers' Championship.

While George Russell was the driver being tipped as the favorite to seal the 2026 F1 Drivers' Crown, Antonelli has emerged as the better Mercedes driver so far, winning three races so far with his teammate winning only one.

After an up and down learning rookie season in 2025 where he also showed flashes of brilliance, Antonelli has been solid in 2026. Herbert said: "He's been so impressive in what he's been achieving in a very consistent way, and that is a very powerful thing for the other drivers to see that.

"They [Antonelli rivals] should be very worried about him because he's only going to get stronger at that tender age of 19.

"At the beginning of the season, the only criticism I had of Antonelli from last year was consistency. He seems to have so far turned that around. And that strength, mental strength, is only going to get better, which means these results are going to become easier for him.

"He's probably not even going to be thinking about going into a race weekend and how he drives the car, because it will all become automatic for him.

"He will have much more capacity than what he had last year," Herbert pointed out. "When you've got more capacity, you have a bigger chance of dealing with everything that is going on within the team and within the bubble of Formula 1."

Herbert explains: "It's mighty impressive what he's doing at the moment. There are probably two things to it that are showing up very strongly in his favour.

"Consistency is one thing, but I think it's where his driving has really developed into a situation where mistakes are not coming into play. When you watch him, those mistakes are mighty small.

"That's what we've seen with Max [Verstappen] or Lewis [Hamilton] or [Ayrton] Senna or [Michael] Schumacher. It was their ability to make only minuscule mistakes.

"At 19 years old, Antonelli has a wow factor," he went on. "This young generation of drivers are just so on top of all the technology that is there and then able to deliver the race results that Kimi is doing at the moment. It's lovely with his personality, which is shining through in a major way. It's great for Formula 1 and for race fans alike."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been doing his best to shield Antonelli from high expectations and Title fight pressure, insisting it is still too soon to talk about all that.

But Herbert believes the Italian is indeed Championship material; he added: "Is Antonelli showing world champion credentials? Very much so. He's grown into a championship mentality.

"Those poles and wins in the first three races have made him the leader of the Mercedes team."

And like many others, the 61-year-old former racer is surprised Russell is not the one spearheading Mercedes' 2026 season.

He said: "I had expected George to be the one who's going to come out the blocks fast and fighting and controlling it, but it's completely switched the other way.

"Kimi has this power. George, his teammate, and other drivers for instance at McLaren and Red Bull are going to be seeing this strength in front of their eyes. They will be concerned at how strong this guy is going to become.

"This is part of what a driver needs to do. He needs to be able to make the other drivers around him feel nervous and threatened. Kimi is probably doing it.

"Because of the results he's getting, that is the vibe that he's sending out there, and that vibe is just going to be very powerful for him.

"I call it intimidation because everybody's going to be thinking that this guy means business," Herbert concluded.

The Canadian Grand Prix this weekend will be the next showdown between Antonelli and Russell. Who will prevail? (Source: Jackpot City Casino)