Kimi Antonelli has now changed his opinion about racing against Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli came through the daunting task of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes as a rookie in 2025, and he had a coming-of-age fight with Max Verstappen.

The 19-year-old recorded his Formula 1 debut in 2025 after the Silver Arrows turned to their academy to complete their driver line-up after Hamilton defected to Ferrari. It was a big ask by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, as Hamilton is the most successful driver in history.

Antonelli had a few rookie moments, including taking Verstappen out on the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix. Mercedes’ rear suspension update wrecked Antonelli’s confidence, as well, and it saw the Italian score points just once between rounds seven and 13 last year.

His only points-paying finish across that run came when Antonelli got his maiden Grand Prix podium with P3 in the 2025 Canadian GP. The Bologna boy ultimately finished last year with three podiums, after also sealing P2 in last term’s Sao Paulo GP and P3 in the Las Vegas GP.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli no longer finds fighting Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as special

The 2025 Sao Paulo GP was a coming-of-age round for Antonelli, as he also took P2 in the F1 Sprint after chasing McLaren racer Lando Norris in the lead. Antonelli held off Verstappen to take P2 in the 2025 Sao Paulo GP, too, after using his energy out of Juncao to perfection.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Antonelli can still remember how special it felt to race in F1 against a seven-time champion in Hamilton and a four-time champion in Verstappen after making his debut in 2025. But he admits that feeling has gone, as fighting with the Briton and Dutchman is now “the norm”.

Antonelli told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I remember last year when I found myself doing my first laps next to champions like Hamilton and Verstappen. It was impressive. Now, I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s become the norm, like everything else in this world.

“I have immense respect and admiration for them, but the goal when we have our helmets on is always the same – no matter who you are racing against, you have to want to beat everyone.”

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are now just two of Kimi Antonelli’s 21 F1 rivals

George Russell topped the lap count at the Barcelona Shakedown 🔥

But is mileage everything at this stage? 🤔

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Antonelli naturally had a different sensation when racing against Hamilton at the start of his F1 career in 2025 than at the close of his rookie campaign. Hamilton was fighting to win the 2006 GP2 title when Antonelli was born and won seven F1 titles before the Italian debuted.

Likewise, when Verstappen started what has so far been a four-time title-winning F1 career in 2015, Antonelli was still in the infancy of his karting career. Antonelli did not start racing single-seaters until 2021, when Verstappen would beat Hamilton to secure his first F1 title.

Yet after one year of fighting Hamilton and Verstappen, they are now just two of the 21 rival drivers on the 2026 F1 grid that Antonelli wants to beat. Fighting McLaren pilot Oscar Piastri gave Antonelli the same “feeling” as fighting Verstappen early on in the 2025 F1 season, too.