This weekend, the Formula 1 season continues with the Dutch Grand Prix. Antonelli holds a comfortable lead in the standings, sitting 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 59 points ahead of his teammate, George Russell.

According to Montoya, Russell's comeback is made more difficult by Antonelli's personality. Speaking to F1.com, the Colombian explained. "The dynamic is difficult, because Kimi is bloody quick, and he’s also a very likeable guy. When the guy is quick and is an ***hole, it’s so much easier to go against him, and to build that rage to create the momentum to destroy him. But when the guy is so nice…"

Still, the former driver sees way for Russell to defeat his teammate. He continued: "I think George needs to figure out a way to match Kimi. If he matches Kimi, he’s going to put Kimi in an uncomfortable position. If George can get there, Kimi will try to find a way to beat him again. I think it might force Kimi into a difficult situation and making mistakes."

Deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained that Mercedes was only partially surprised by Antonelli's form in 2026. When answering GPblog's question, he said: "Are we surprised? Yes and no. We took the decision to bring Kimi into the team because we believed in his potential, but I think it's also undeniable that to see a driver in just his second season in Formula 1 performing with so much consistency and with real, calm maturity is incredibly impressive."

He added: "Through that difficult first season, it sort of happened in thirds, strong start, a difficult middle, and then working out what he needed to do to work out of that slump and into the strong races at the end of the year. It's almost like he managed to do multiple seasons’ worth of learning in one, and then that's all consolidated over the winter."