David Coulthard raises Oscar Piastri ‘series of mistakes’ concern for Kimi Antonelli in title fight

Follow us on Google Discover

Kimi Antonelli’s win at the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix marked him as a serious contender in the Formula 1 title fight this year, leading David Coulthard to warn the young Italian against making the same “series of mistakes” as Oscar Piastri last year.

Oscar Piastri ended up losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris by just 13 points after the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, after the Australian had previously held a 34-point advantage in the F1 standings earlier in the season.

Which driver had the best car but did not win that year’s championship?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

A string of mistakes during the latter stages of the season ended up costing Piastri a maiden championship crown, with the 24-year-old slipping down to third in the championship following a late charge by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

With Kimi Antonelli now looking at the prospect of being locked into a championship battle with his Mercedes counterpart, George Russell, during the current campaign, he has received some advice from former F1 driver David Coulthard.

• READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli has just done something even Max Verstappen never managed in F1

David Coulthard warns Kimi Antonelli against making the same ‘mistakes’ as Oscar Piastri last year

On a recent episode of the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard raised his concerns over Antonelli’s first championship battle in the sport during a conversation about his victory over the weekend at Suzuka.

The 13-time Grand Prix winner is looking forward to the prospect of the 19-year-old staking his claim for a title, but he also issued a stark warning to him.

After co-host Jolie Sharpe noted how impressed she was with Antonelli’s honesty after the race, Coulthard said, “Well, mark my words, it will change because he’s going to grow up in the public eye.

“He’s going to go from being, this is all new and exciting, and I’m getting invited to sitting courtside at the basketball or wherever he happens to go, to suddenly, it will start to become a little bit tiresome because people will want something from him all the time.

How the championship looks after Japan

Which drivers are out of position heading into the break?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

“So let’s put a mark in the sand. See that sort of joyful smile, let’s fast forward. Maybe not this year, but certainly throughout his career, he will become a little bit battle-weary. And we don’t want him to lose that enthusiasm right now.

“The other thing will be, does he have the pace of a Grand Prix season? Because that is tiring. And I think that’s what we saw with Oscar Piastri last year. He got to Baku, needed to win that race and made a series of mistakes.

“And that’s where Lando, having more experience, was able to come through. So if I were George Russell, this is now a war zone. No more Mr Nice Guy.”

• READ MORE: Toto Wolff admits Mercedes have a ‘difficult’ weakness despite Kimi Antonelli’s Japanese GP win

David Coulthard also told George Russell to start ‘eroding’ at Kimi Antonelli’s confidence in F1

The former McLaren star also had some words of advice for Russell ahead of his inevitable showdown with Antonelli during the current F1 campaign.

He drew attention to the fact that the Briton has finally found himself with a competitive car, and doubts that he will let his chance at ultimate glory slip through his fingers this year.

Coulthard said, “George is realising this is his opportunity; any advantage that they’ve had in those early races will slowly be eroded as their customer teams understand how to use their energy. As Kimi grows in confidence, you don’t want a really confident teammate.

“You want a teammate who’s slightly thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not sure I can beat him in qualifying.’ Trust me, I know, because I had teammates where I would sit there looking at the lap time and qualifying and thinking, ‘I’ve got one more set of tyres. I don’t think I can go any faster.’

“So George has to now start eroding that confidence within Kimi. And he’s having to do that whilst, of course, the facade of the team, Mercedes, you know, we love each other. Everyone’s fine.

“But it will come to a head. And as far as I’m concerned, for George, he’s got to get his shoulder behind that and get his elbows out sooner rather than later because Kimi is growing in confidence right now.”