Peter Windsor tells Kimi Antonelli why he’ll find it ‘difficult’ to ever reach Isack Hadjar’s level

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Kimi Antonelli has now been completely overtaken in Formula 1’s rookie of the year conversation by Isack Hadjar.

Despite being in a much faster Mercedes car, the two have achieved the same number of podiums in their rookie season.

It might have helped Hadjar earn a promotion to Red Bull heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, but nothing has been announced yet.

Strangely, Antonelli’s future hasn’t been announced either, but team boss Toto Wolff has insisted that he will be around next year.

Mercedes must protect Antonelli at Monza after seeing how much he struggled at his first home race earlier this season. Imola was a disastrous weekend.

On the other hand, Red Bull think one of Hadjar’s biggest flaws has ‘vanished’ and are really pleased with his progress. The two drivers are enjoying contrasting campaigns.

READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve explains why Isack Hadjar is better suited to racing for Red Bull instead of Ferrari

Peter Windsor tells Kimi Antonelli he’ll find it ‘difficult’ to match Isack Hadjar in high-speed corners

Red Bull have now decided Max Verstappen’s 2026 teammate, according to an insider. Yuki Tsunoda’s future has been under threat for a while, and he now needs a miracle to save his drive.

Meanwhile, Jacques Villeneuve has told Antonelli to make drastic behind the scenes changes following a clumsy Dutch Grand Prix. He has made a few critical errors, such as crashing into rivals this year.

On a speed level, Peter Windsor finds it unlikely that Antonelli will ever be able to match Hadjar, and has pointed out one area where the Frenchman is better in a video on his YouTube channel.

“It’s difficult to see Kimi ever being as good as Isack Hadjar, in my opinion,” he said. “I think Isack is better on fast corners, for sure. Kimi’s not bad, but I mean, he has got everything going for him, hasn’t he?

“He’s got a great Grand Prix car, everybody loves him. Toto loves him, gives him lots of latitude. George loves him, and he’s learning lots. So why wouldn’t he be going quite well, you could almost say.”

READ MORE: F1 team chief reveals Mercedes ‘offered’ them the chance to sign Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season

Did Mercedes make the right decision to promote Kimi Antonelli to Formula 1 so quickly?

Judging by his early-season form, when he claimed five top-six finishes in his first six races, the move to promote Antonelli so soon looked like a stroke of genius.

Fast forward a few months, and people are starting to question why he didn’t follow the same path as George Russell in joining a lesser team before his promotion.

Mercedes see one clear reason why Antonelli deserves a longer contract than his teammate, despite the gulf in performance between them.

However, if the Italian driver continues to struggle in 2026 and has a car which can contend for victory, there will have to be some serious conversations about moving on from him.