Lando Norris heaps praise on "very capable" Kimi Antonelli

The 26-year-old entered the 2026 campaign as the defending Formula 1 Champion, having pipped the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and teammate Oscar Piastri to his maiden F1 Drivers’ Title.

Unfortunately for the Briton, this year hasn’t looked quite as competitive for McLaren, with the Woking-based outfit looking like the third-fastest team despite a promising performance at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The current top of the crop appears to be Mercedes, who have George Russell and Antonelli as their driver pairing.

Despite only being in his second season, Antonelli leads the Drivers’ Standings ahead of his far more experienced teammate, with 72 and 63 points respectively.

While Russell clinched the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Antonelli has looked like the faster and more consistent driver of the two and claimed victory at the following two Grands Prix in China and Japan.

It is easy to forget that the young Italian is only 19 years old, considering the performances he has been putting in for Mercedes.

Norris was asked about his thoughts on Antonelli’s recent run of form at a media event at the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this week, where GrandPrix247 were in attendance.

He responded: “You know, Kimi is in his second year in f1 right? So he's doing a good job. It's also cool to see; he's a very nice guy, and he's performing well, you know, the top level in Formula One.

“And he's had a good few races. So it's good to see that he's kind of found that extra bit of pace and is battling George convincingly,” added the Briton.

Norris compared where he was in his F1 career at 19-years-old to Antonelli now, showcasing the rapid progress that the Mercedes driver has made in a short period of time.

He continued: “Between year one to year two, you do just take a big step forward in every area. You're just more comfortable, you're more happy. Naturally, things just flow a lot better.

“But Kimi also seems pretty easygoing and he cracks on with his own job, you know. So that's a good thing for for him, and he’ll keep getting better, you know, from year one to year two, and then year two to year three.

“But, my first year at 19 felt quite early, and he’s in his second year and already fighting for Championships. Of course, I would have loved to have been fighting for a Championship and for wins in the first couple years of my career, but it took me a little bit longer.

“He’s got chances to win races and fight for poles and fight for a Championship now, so a big challenge on his hands, but he seems very capable at the minute, so I’m excited to see how he does,” the McLaren Champion concluded.