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Juan Pablo Montoya has warned Kimi Antonelli that the pressure on him will only get ‘heavier’ amid his Formula 1 title charge.
Antonelli is gunning to become the youngest F1 world champion in history as he currently sits top of the 2026 standings.
Last weekend, Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix to extend his lead over George Russell to 20 points.
With the season set to resume in Montreal later this month, the Canadian Grand Prix is set to be a make-or-break race for Russell as he looks to chase down his Mercedes teammate.
Do you think Kimi Antonelli will become Mercedes’ No. 1 driver?
Juan Pablo Montoya warns Kimi Antonelli F1 title pressure will get ‘heavier’
Speaking recently to RacingNews365, ex-F1 star Montoya has sent a stern warning to Antonelli that the title pressure will only get ‘heavier’ from here.
The Colombian, who raced for McLaren and Williams during his F1 career, also claimed that Russell should have won in China and that Antonelli had the ‘luck’ in Japan.
Montoya said: “It’s going well now, but the difficult thing is that the pressure will only increase during the year, and it will get heavier and heavier. But hopefully he will have built up a lead by then.
“I think Canada will be an important measurement moment, because if you are realistic, George Russell should have won in China.
“In Japan, he was slightly faster than George. In addition, he also had the luck of the safety car, so everything was in his favour.”
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He continued: “In Miami, he really dominated and did an excellent job. I think Lando Norris was faster than him, but he couldn’t pass him. I was a bit surprised that Mercedes was not more aggressive with the strategy, but that is part of racing.
“I think his engineering group, Peter Bonnington and the rest have experienced this before. They know what it takes, and I think that makes it all a lot easier.”
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David Coulthard claims Kimi Antonelli has ‘come of age’ amid F1 title fight
It was clear that Antonelli endured a mixed season in 2025, but in 2026 so far, the 19-year-old has produced a string of impressive performances.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, ex-Red Bull man David Coulthard stated that Antonelli has ‘earned the right’ to be the world championship leader.
Coulthard said: “I think he’s absolutely come of age. He has absolutely earned the right to be leading this world championship.
“And the expectation is now, and this will be uncomfortable for George, but the expectation is that he is leading the team and clearly in results.
“Now George has the experience, he has the quality, he has all of the skills to be able to take ownership of that back again. They both cannot win. Someone’s got to be first. Someone’s got to be second.”
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