Antonelli cautious about calling himself the best: 'But I'm definitely among them'
Photo: Race Pictures
Updated:
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Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Kimi Antonelli did not claim to be the best himself, but believes he belongs among the very best so far in the 2026 season.
After another commanding victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli comfortably leads the drivers' standings ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
He holds a 45-point advantage over Hamilton and a 50-point lead over Russell.
| Drivers' standings | ||
| P1 | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | 204 |
| P2 | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | 159 |
| P3 | George Russell (Mercedes) | 154 |
| P4 | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 126 |
At the Hungaroring, Antonelli was therefore asked by GPblog whether he believes he has been the best driver over the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
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"Yeah, easy start," the young Italian began with a slight laugh.
He continued: "It's so hard to say. I think I've been one of the best, but I wouldn't say I've been the best driver on the grid.
"But to be fair, if I look back, I think we were the ones doing the least amount of mistakes, and that’s I think what brought us here now allowed us to get good results.
Photo: Race Pictures
"Of course, we've had a really strong car as well. But as well, I think on my side, what I can be happy about going into summer break, of course, there's still this weekend to finish off well, but I think execution wise, together with the team, we've done an incredible job.
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"That allowed us to put ourselves in this position. So I think on that side, we did really well in this first part," he explained.
Antonelli owes fellow F1 driver: 'He can buy me dinner'
Valtteri Bottas believes Antonelli owes him a dinner after the Belgian Grand Prix, where the young Italian was victorious.
The Italian's overtake on Charles Leclerc happened after they lapped Cadillac's Bottas as well. "I mean the rate they were closing was so quick, so it really caught me out. So, I don't know, did it make a difference? Did he get past after that?" the Finnish driver said to GPblog, among others, after the race.
"Yeah. Oh, okay. Kimi can buy me a dinner. So, no, I mean, just the closing speed really caught me off guard."
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