F1 fans keep making the same comparison between Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton at the Brazilian Grand Prix

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Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is having the best weekend of his Formula 1 career at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Lando Norris won the Sprint Race in Brazil and will start Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix from pole position.

His closest rivals in the drivers’ championship, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, have both had weekends to forget.

It means that Norris’ nearest rival in Brazil is Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will start from the front row alongside the championship leader after finishing second in Saturday’s Sprint Race.

Antonelli was annoyed that he couldn’t find a way past Norris in the Sprint Race, but he’ll have another opportunity to earn his first win on Sunday.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff decided to promote Antonelli when Lewis Hamilton announced he would be joining Ferrari this season.

The seven-time world champion is a fan favourite in Brazil, but his hopes of ending his long wait for a podium with his new team were severely diminished when he failed to progress to the top 10 shootout in qualifying.

That didn’t stop some fans from making a very interesting comparison between Antonelli and Hamilton.

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F1 fans think Andrea Kimi Antonelli has the same driving style as Lewis Hamilton

Posting on social media after Antonelli’s brilliant final qualifying lap, one user said: “Kimi oh! Something about his and Lewis’ driving styles is very similar imho [in my honest opinion].”

Another fan said: “I think so too. It can be seen from Singapore that they also pursue the limit.”

“Yeah, but Kimi is 2nd and Lewis is 13th, while Leclerc is P3,” one comment replied, while another suggested: “Kimi is P2 in Lewis’ car from last year; he messed up leaving Mercedes.”

One response said: “Norris is performing under pressure. Looks like Hamilton’s Ferrari move saved Merc the PR challenge of choosing to replace him. Antonelli is showing pace and maturity now. Smart investment in the future.”

Finally, one fan suggested that Antonelli was already on his way to being admired like Hamilton in Brazil and said: “Looking at the way Antonelli is performing this weekend, I think we’re going to have to give him an honorary citizenship title just like Hamilton’s; the Italian kid is flying high.”

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Kimi Antonelli earns a new nickname at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Hamilton is famously an honorary Brazilian citizen and will be one of the best-supported drivers on the track during Sunday’s race.

For the first time in years, he’s been joined on the circuit by an actual Brazilian, although Gabriel Bortoleto has a lot of work to do to score points at his home race after failing to take part in qualifying following a horrific crash in the Sprint Race.

But Antonelli’s brilliant debut at Interlagos has earned him a nickname among the Brazilian supporters at the track.

Mercedes even made reference to it on their social channels, calling Antonelli ‘Kiminho’ on one of their graphics.

Aptly, ‘Kiminho’ means ‘Little Kimi’, although what he lacks in stature he more than makes up for in raw speed.

No rookie driver has ever won on their debut in Brazil, but Antonelli could break that record if he gets the better of Norris on Sunday.