Lando Norris shares why he’s ‘enjoying’ Kimi Antonelli dominating F1 amid his failing title defence

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Lando Norris claims it “pains me” to see Andrea Kimi Antonelli dominating Formula 1 amid his own failing title defence, but he does like one aspect of the Italian’s success.

Antonelli is running away with the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship after the first six rounds of the season. The Mercedes ace boasts a 66-point lead at the top of the standings, and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari has even surpassed George Russell to emerge as Antonelli’s nearest rival.

Russell has fallen to a 68-point deficit to his Mercedes teammate after failing to take a point as Antonelli won the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday. Norris never faced a deficit as large as the one now facing his British compatriot amid his eventual charge to the 2025 drivers’ title.

Kimi Antonelli is going for his sixth straight win at the Barcelona GP. Who’s your pick for the top step of the podium?

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Lando Norris enjoys Andrea Kimi Antonelli dominating F1 as he is “a very nice person”

At his worst point in the 2025 season, Norris trailed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by 34 points following round 15 of 24 in the Netherlands. Norris outscored Piastri during each of the next six rounds, and he eventually won the title by two points over Max Verstappen.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 F1 Barcelona Grand Prix, plus the weather forecast

Norris would be “happy” for either Mercedes man if Antonelli or Russell were to take the F1 drivers’ title off him this year, as either would be a deserving champion. And while not being in the fight “pains” Norris, seeing a nice person like Antonelli dominate F1 is a joy to watch.

“He’s someone who, even though I didn’t know him as a child, seems very polite, to me,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “He’s a very nice person. For me, that’s the most important thing.

“I have a lot of respect for him. He’s very, very young. He’s fighting for a world championship at what, 19 years old? It’s incredible. This is only his second year in Formula 1, and he’s competing against a teammate who is incredibly strong. But he’s beating him every weekend. You know, there’s not much you can criticise him for.

“He’s doing a practically perfect job. For me, as much as it pains me to see it because I’m not in a similar situation, I also enjoy seeing this kind of thing. Someone who is a good person and who is doing very well. Especially at his age. So, it’s something I have a lot of respect for.

“I mean, I enjoy watching someone do such an incredible job, because I know what it takes to achieve something like that. So, when you see someone do it that well, you can only take your hat off and show a lot of respect for it.

“I’d be happy for George, because he’s British and I know George, and he’s a good friend. I’d also be happy for Kimi. To be honest, I’ll be happy for whoever wins the championship. It’s probably because they deserve to win it.”

Norris goes into this week’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix just sixth in the standings on 58 points, 98 fewer than Antonelli has and also 57 fewer than the McLaren ace scored over the first six rounds in 2025. Piastri led the 2025 drivers’ standings after six rounds on 131 points.

McLaren have encountered a wealth of reliability issues at the start of F1’s 2026 regulations era that have plagued Norris’ title defence. The Briton only boasts one podium after sealing P2 when Antonelli undercut Norris to win the Miami Grand Prix, with Piastri finishing in P3.

Separate battery problems with their Mercedes power units meant neither Norris nor Piastri started in the Chinese Grand Prix in round two. Norris also retired from the Canadian Grand Prix due to an issue with his gearbox, and he retired in Monaco after another engine failure.