Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Christian Danner thinks Mercedes ace Andrea Kimi Antonelli is now showing the same “carefree” attitude that McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had before his 2025 title bid fell apart.
Piastri regularly received praise at the start of the 2025 F1 season for his relaxed demeanour as he emerged as a genuine title contender for the first time in his career. Nico Rosberg even claimed Piastri deserved Kimi Raikkonen’s Iceman nickname for how he dealt with pressure.
The Australian frequently brushed off his emerging status as a championship challenger, and initially when he became the title favourite. Now, Danner has seen parallels between Piastri and Antonelli, who moved atop in the 2026 F1 drivers’ standings after the first three rounds.
Antonelli leads his Mercedes teammate George Russell atop the standings by nine points on 72 and 63 after winning the last two Grands Prix. The 19-year-old converted his maiden pole position to win in China and even won from pole in Japan, albeit partly due to the safety car.
Kimi Antonelli has visited Valentino Rossi’s ranch during the break – But which F1 driver would win a race on MotoGP bikes?
Christian Danner has seen Oscar Piastri’s early-2025 ‘carefree attitude’ in Kimi Antonelli
Antonelli is “confident” that he can win the 2026 F1 drivers’ title if he can maintain his early form throughout the rest of the season. But the Italian has largely brushed off the title fight, insisting that he is “not worrying” about the end goal as he knows he still needs to improve.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Former Arrows F1 driver Danner thinks Antonelli’s relaxed approach to the 2026 title fight is similar to how Piastri dealt with fighting his McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the 2025 title. But Danner adds that Piastri ultimately lost his cool once he began to lose momentum.
Danner told Motorsport-Magazin: “He has the carefree attitude and freedom of his youth, and obviously the talent. And at the moment, he’s able to put that to wonderful use, except at the start. We saw that with Piastri.
“[Piastri] lost that youthful carefree attitude, and it showed. As long as he was winning, everything was great and Lando was having huge difficulties. But then things changed, and towards the end of the year he was sometimes left looking like a scrambled puppy.”
How Oscar Piastri’s 2025 F1 title bid collapsed is now an example for Kimi Antonelli to avoid
Which four drivers belong on McLaren’s Mount Rushmore? 🗻
Piastri held a 34-point lead over Norris and a 104-point lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen through 15 of the 24 rounds last season, which saw him emerge as the champion-elect. But Norris outscored Piastri from round 16 to 21, and ultimately ended the year 13 points clear.
Verstappen also outscored Piastri in each of the final nine rounds last year to finish the term 11 points ahead of the Australian. The wheels fell off his wagon after McLaren told Piastri to give Norris back P2 in the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, having undercut his teammate at Monza.
Piastri did not agree with the order yet adhered to it, as McLaren had assured Norris that he would remain in front if he pitted second. The effects proved long-lasting, as Piastri crashed in qualifying and the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan as he was still thinking about the team orders.
Further incidents in Singapore and the F1 Sprint at COTA ultimately saw the title slip through Piastri’s fingers last season. Now, how Piastri’s 2025 title bid collapsed serves as an example for Antonelli to avoid, as he bids to become the youngest-ever F1 drivers’ champion in 2026.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
