'Phenomenon Antonelli lacks what makes Verstappen and Hamilton global superstars'

For every magazine, website, social media channel or podcast about F1, audience figures are driven by the performances of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. No matter how exciting Formula 1 is, if those two—or even just one of them—aren't fighting at the front, most F1 followers switch off.

Over the past few weeks, F1 fans have been reminded of that. People want to see Verstappen battling for the win, and the numbers suddenly shoot up. What makes Verstappen and Hamilton so popular around the world, while someone like Kimi Antonelli, who may well be just as talented, doesn't attract the same level of support?

On track, Antonelli is doing things that very few drivers have ever managed. Only Max Verstappen was younger when he took his first win, while Kimi is the youngest driver ever to take pole. He is on course to become the youngest world champion by a clear margin. At 20, he would be a full three years younger than record-holder Sebastian Vettel.

On track, Antonelli is remarkably mature. In 2026, he has barely put a foot wrong and seems to get the maximum out of the Mercedes every weekend. George Russell, previously considered one of F1's top drivers, is no match for Antonelli at all.

Yet Antonelli is nowhere near as popular as Verstappen, Hamilton or Fernando Alonso were in their early years in F1. Even though Antonelli could become Italy's first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, he has done little to draw attention away from Ferrari. Verstappen and Alonso were the first major F1 heroes in their respective countries, while Hamilton was another Briton succeeding in a sport that was already predominantly British. Even so, Hamilton received more attention than Antonelli does now

Part of the difference lies on track. Antonelli performs well and gets the maximum out of the car, but he doesn't dazzle. Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen and earlier stars such as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna were all known for their distinctive, often aggressive driving styles. That aggression on track created rivalries, but also earned them plenty of supporters. It made headlines.

Those larger-than-life personalities also led to plenty of memorable moments off track. They clashed with other drivers, commented on the sport and its key figures, and simply had interesting things to say. They weren't drivers who had been media-trained to the hilt by their teams, but people who made others want to get behind them.

Antonelli is missing all of that. Kimi is still a kind, sweet young man. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't dazzle. Every comment is carefully measured, and he won't say a bad word about his team, teammates or rivals. Mercedes will be delighted; the fans, much less so.

In that respect, Antonelli is reminiscent of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. They, too, are lovely guys who attracted very little genuine interest around the world, despite their title battle in 2025. Interest in the sport only returned in 2025 when Max Verstappen suddenly found himself back in the title fight. We're seeing the same pattern in 2026.

I seriously doubt Antonelli has it in him to push the boundaries. What certainly hasn't helped is years of guidance from Mercedes. Great for the team, but rather dull for the wider world. Like George Russell and Valtteri Bottas, Antonelli tends to fall back on clichés, state the obvious and simply be nice. That doesn't make him the perfect poster boy for F1, or the new face set to succeed Hamilton and Verstappen.