Kimi Antonelli is now imitating an Ayrton Senna trait during his rookie F1 season and it’s the opposite of Oscar Piastri

Follow us on Google Discover

Andrea Kimi Antonelli made history by finishing on the podium for the first time in his Formula 1 career at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Mercedes took a chance on Kimi Antonelli, and he became the youngest Italian in history to record a top-three finish in F1 last Sunday.

Only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were younger when they recorded their first podiums, and Mercedes have built a car that will allow Antonelli to continue to fight for strong finishes for the rest of the season.

Although he’s still some way off the level of his teammate George Russell, Antonelli will be giving team principal Toto Wolff hope that he’s uncovered another world-class driver.

Nico Rosberg thought he’d uncovered the next Lewis Hamilton in Antonelli when he ran him in his karting team, such is the excitement around him.

Antonelli is frequently compared to Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna, both in terms of his looks and his driving style.

Senna’s likeness was seen during Antonelli’s Formula 1 debut, and he mimicked his iconic podium celebration at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Pundit and racing driver Justin Bell has seen another reason why Antonelli and Senna are so similar and made an appropriate comparison to McLaren star Oscar Piastri.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Kimi Antonelli has the same ‘friendly’ nature as Ayrton Senna during his maiden Formula 1 season

Bell was speaking on the Drive to Wynn Podcast after Antonelli’s first podium and explained: “I think there’s a cheekiness to him and weirdly enough a humbleness to him, considering his personality is so open.

“But Ayrton Senna in the beginning was very, very personable and friendly in the paddock before he achieved fame.

“Not like a James Hunt, but he was definitely much more approachable, someone was telling me that yesterday.

“And you then have someone like Oscar Piastri, who just isn’t that level of personality, right?

“So you can’t compare them, even if Oscar was five years younger, you know, at Kimi’s age, I think Kimi would be a lot more fun to hang out with.”

READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash

Kimi Antonelli makes a ‘key step’ in his Formula 1 development at the Canadian Grand Prix

Every rookie on the grid this season is teammates with a more established driver, and Antonelli arguably has one of the toughest assignments, trying to keep up with Russell.

Throughout each practice session in Canada, he was substantially slower than the Brit, but when it came to qualifying, he got within half a second of his fastest lap, which never looked on the cards just a few hours earlier.

Antonelli’s move on Piastri to finish third was fantastic, and the way he coped with the pressure of both McLarens chasing him down in the closing stages deserves a lot of credit.

Mercedes believe Antonelli made a ‘key step’ in his development in Canada as he continues to learn at a rapid pace.

Piastri is still a quiet, mild-mannered person both in and out of the car, and Mark Webber has highlighted the changes Piastri has made to become a better driver.

Whereas Senna’s confidence grew rapidly as he realised he was one of the fastest drivers of his generation.

It will be interesting to see which direction Antonelli goes in as his career progresses, but he’s quickly becoming a fan favourite both because of his ability and his personality.