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David Coulthard feels Andrea Kimi Antonelli can become an F1 drivers’ champion, but he must fight Mercedes teammate George Russell tooth and nail to win the 2026 title.
Antonelli is only in his second season on the Formula 1 grid this year, but the Mercedes W17 has thrust the Italian into the title fight. Mercedes produced the best car for the start of F1’s 2026 regulations era, and their drivers have since taken every pole position and win thus far.
Russell opened the season with wins from pole position in the Australian Grand Prix and the F1 Sprint in China, while Antonelli took back-to-back Grand Prix wins from pole in China and Japan. Antonelli’s Grand Prix wins even put him above Russell atop the F1 drivers’ standings.
Bologna native Antonelli became the youngest driver to ever lead the F1 standings when he opened a nine-point margin over Russell after the Briton failed to join him on the podium in Japan. Antonelli’s worst Grand Prix finish is P2 in Australia, while Russell got just P4 in Japan.
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David Coulthard is hesitant to set Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s title odds before the Miami Grand Prix
Mercedes now give Antonelli as much of a chance as Russell to win the 2026 F1 title, due to just how strongly the former has started his second term on the grid. British F1 legend Nigel Mansell thinks “everyone” is rooting for Antonelli to emerge victorious in the title fight, too.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli
British former F1 racer Coulthard does not feel too confident about Antonelli’s title chances, however, as the picture could change quickly at the Miami Grand Prix. The teenager will also have to fight Russell with everything he has got to deny the 28-year-old a potential first title.
Coulthard told ServusTV: “It doesn’t quite feel that way. They’ve invested a lot of time and had a long dry spell. Let’s wait for Miami, and then maybe we’ll understand how the technology is developing.
“Of course, he can become world champion. When you have a winning car, almost only George Russell can come close. He has to fight tooth and nail.”
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Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur thinks F1 could see a “different championship” in Miami when the season resumes following the five-week break from the cancellation of the events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Most, if not all, of the teams are set to have upgrades in Miami.
The Scuderia, in particular, are expected to introduce wholesale changes to the SF-26 to get closer to Mercedes, having emerged as their nearest rival through the first three rounds. An influx of upgrades when F1 goes to Florida could yet wipe away Mercedes’ early advantage.
Should Mercedes’ early form persist, then Antonelli is “confident” that he can win the 2026 F1 drivers’ title and become only the third Italian to win the championship. Giuseppe Farina won the maiden F1 title in 1950, before Alberto Ascari lifted the title in 1952 and also 1953.
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