Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 F1 Title Wins Praise From Norris and Rivals

Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 title has drawn an unusually clear verdict from the drivers he beat: his speed was expected, but his consistency and ability to make the most of a championship-contending Mercedes have set him apart. The 20-year-old sealed the crown with third place at the Mexican Grand Prix, completing the achievement in only his second Formula 1 season.

Outgoing champion Lando Norris was among the most emphatic in his praise. “Unbelievable, what he’s done; he’s blown everyone away,” he said, urging others to give Antonelli credit for the season. Norris pointed to how quickly the Mercedes driver adapted to his car and how effectively he used it, saying Antonelli had “made everyone else look silly.”

That endorsement carries particular weight coming from a driver handing over the title. Norris said Antonelli had earned the celebrations and the number one associated with being champion. His age and limited time in the series made the result still more striking, he added: “It’s even more impressive that it’s only his second season in Formula 1. He’s 20 years old.”

Consistency against an experienced teammate

Norris singled out Antonelli’s season-long comparison with Mercedes teammate George Russell. In Norris’s assessment, Antonelli had beaten Russell throughout the campaign, while making few mistakes. He cited the range of results the new champion delivered: Antonelli recovered from the back of the grid, won from the front, and kept scoring across the season.

That combination matters in a title fight. A fast car can create opportunities, but turning them into points week after week takes control as well as pace. Norris said Antonelli’s performance against a teammate in the same machinery was especially impressive, describing him as having “smashed the guy in the same car as him.”

The result was being celebrated close to the drivers’ post-race media debriefs. Franco Colapinto, speaking as Antonelli stood on the podium beside Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, called the scene an ideal image of the achievement. Hamilton was the Mercedes driver Antonelli replaced; Verstappen was a frequent point of comparison for the young Italian.

“There he is, between Lewis and Max,” Colapinto said. He described Antonelli as a deserved champion and said the driver should enjoy the moment. Colapinto also stressed that raw speed was already familiar to the paddock. The bigger step, in his view, was maintaining that level while collecting wins, podiums and points without letting mistakes derail the campaign.

Handling the pressure of a title fight

Colapinto highlighted the burden of spending much of the season at the top of the standings. Antonelli held the championship lead for a long stretch, from close to the opening part of the year through to its finish. Colapinto said he had handled that pressure remarkably well.

Hamilton and Verstappen also congratulated him in parc fermé. Verstappen said he was “very proud of him,” while Hamilton said he was grateful to witness what he called a “pretty phenomenal” crowning. Their reactions placed the title in the context of the drivers who have shaped recent seasons, while keeping the focus on what Antonelli achieved.

The record on track is substantial: Antonelli has won nine races and has finished outside the podium places only once in a grand prix he completed this year. Gabriel Bortoleto, who has competed for titles in Formula 2 and Formula 3, said the composure required to keep producing results under championship pressure was the standout feature.

Bortoleto noted that Antonelli was fighting against Russell, Verstappen and Hamilton, all with extensive experience. He recalled just one or two races where Antonelli appeared off the pace or crashed, and said the driver remained consistently near the front. Bortoleto hopes to contend for titles against him in the future, adding that he has known Antonelli since they were around 10 or 11.

Making the most of the car

There is a practical caveat to the praise: Antonelli had a car capable of challenging for the title in his second season, an opportunity many of his peers would have welcomed earlier in their careers. Carlos Sainz made that point directly, while also saying Antonelli maximised his chance.

Sainz described the first half of the season as dominant and the second as controlled, a pattern he associated with a champion’s approach. The distinction is useful: a competitive car creates the possibility of winning, but it still takes strong execution to convert that advantage into a title. In Sainz’s view, Antonelli did exactly that.

Alex Albon, Sainz’s Williams teammate, joked that he was unsure what Antonelli’s chances would have been rated at before the season. He also praised the Italian’s apparent relaxed manner, while acknowledging that Antonelli had seemed tense in qualifying at times, including in Mexico. Albon’s main distinction was between qualifying and race performance: Antonelli’s pace over a grand prix distance, he said, was what separated him from the rest of the field, though the car had also played a part.

That balance is the clearest takeaway from the reaction. Antonelli benefited from machinery that put the championship within reach, but rivals across the grid credit his repeatable pace, his response to pressure and his results against Russell for turning that opening into a title. His next challenge will be sustaining that standard as the driver everyone else now measures themselves against.