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F1 pundit Juan Pablo Montoya has explained why Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the 2026 F1 standings is now his ‘biggest problem’ this year.
Having won four of the five Grands Prix so far this season, Kimi Antonelli now holds a rather commanding lead in the F1 standings. Mercedes teammate George Russell now sits 43 points behind the young Italian, nearly two race wins worth of points.
How ‘lucky’ has Kimi Antonelli been so far this season?
While things are looking good for the 19-year-old at this stage, there are still a multitude of points up for grabs from the remaining race weekends. Mistakes can happen, as Antonelli found out during his rookie season with the Brackley-based team last year.
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Juan Pablo Montoya says Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead is now his ‘biggest problem’
In a recent edition of the MontoyAS podcast, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya outlined how the title fight is still far from over despite Russell’s relatively large gap to the Italian in the standings.
Following Antonelli’s first three wins to open his account in F1, Russell was tipped for success at the Canadian GP due to his previous success at the circuit. However, a battery issue saw him retire from the lead of the race.
Are Kimi Antonelli’s F1 title chances higher or lower than 70%?
Of course, if one Mercedes power unit is faulty, it raises questions of the overall reliability of all of them, and Antonelli could potentially fall foul of that himself.
“It’s far from over,” Montoya said. “It could be a race where George gets stuck, or Kimi gets stuck, or Kimi makes a mistake. There are plenty of races ahead, and there’s a lot to do. It’s not a done deal.
“The biggest problem Kimi might face, in my view, is when he feels he’s already got a comfortable shot at the championship. And he eases off the intensity a little bit to play it safe, and that’s when the mistakes come. And George knows that.”
- READ MORE: Kimi Antonelli and George Russell sent ‘clear’ message to Mercedes during behind-the-scenes meeting
Oscar Piastri has already proved that early championship leads mean nothing
Antonelli only needs to look back on his rookie campaign in the pinnacle of single-seater motor racing to see how fragile a championship lead can be.
Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris by 34 points with nine races to go in 2025, but a series of mistakes and unfortunate events saw him drop down to third position in the F1 standings by the time the chequered flag flew at the season finale.
It was a highly unfortunate way to end an impressive season for the Australian driver, but it is a clear case study for Antonelli to be aware of.
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