At mid-season, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris agree on the driver who has delivered the most impressive performance so far.
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After eleven Grands Prix contested in 2026, Kimi Antonelli firmly holds the lead in the world championship. With six wins and nine podiums behind the wheel of his Mercedes, the Italian has established himself as the strong man of this first half of the season.
His performances have obviously not gone unnoticed by his rivals. Asked after the Hungarian Grand Prix about the driver who has done the best job considering his car and the opportunities he had, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both named Antonelli.
A particularly flattering choice since Norris and Verstappen know perfectly well what a fight for the world title entails.
Norris impressed by Antonelli
Lando Norris first highlighted the difficulty of comparing the performances of drivers with different cars. The reigning world champion nevertheless ended up naming Antonelli because of his consistency and his advantage over George Russell.
“I think we will probably all name ourselves”, joked Norris. “I feel like you can’t really compare the teams to each other.”
“I think you have to say Kimi, if you consider everything. They have an excellent car and he has done an incredible job, convincingly beating his teammate every weekend. So, when we talk about the championship, credit must be given to Kimi.”
Norris is not lacking confidence in his own abilities either. The Briton has just secured his first win of the season in Hungary, with more than fifteen seconds ahead of Verstappen.
“When I have a good car, I feel like no one can beat me. It simply depends on the quality of the car and things like that.”
Verstappen joins Norris
Max Verstappen largely shares his rival’s analysis. The Dutchman is experiencing a much more difficult first part of the championship with Red Bull, but he believes Antonelli’s performances deserve to be highlighted.
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“I think if you look ahead, Kimi has done a very good job. He is very strong, very solid and is the best performing driver in his team.”
The four-time world champion especially emphasizes the age of the Mercedes driver. At only 19 years old and in his second season in Formula 1, Antonelli already shows remarkable consistency.
“He has also sometimes been very unlucky, which is a shame, but at 19, so far, I think he has been extremely solid. It’s really impressive to watch from the outside.”
Verstappen also praised the human qualities of his young rival.
“Above all, he is a nice person and a very strong driver, so it’s a good combination.”
Antonelli refuses to get carried away
Despite the compliments from two world champions, Antonelli prefers to remain cautious. The Italian acknowledges being satisfied with his first eleven Grands Prix, but refuses to place himself at the level of Norris and Verstappen.
“I don’t really like to judge, but I feel like I have had a good first half of the season. As Lando and Max said, it is really difficult to compare the cars to each other.”
Above all, the championship leader believes he still has a lot to learn before he can consider himself at the same level as his two rivals.
“I think I still have a long way to go before reaching their level, that of the two drivers next to me. I feel like I am doing a very good job, but there is still a lot to do to reach their level.”
A modesty that contrasts with his results: with six wins in eleven races, Antonelli will approach the second half of the season as the favorite to win his first world title.
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