MONTREAL — Rival drivers aren’t surprised by Kimi Antonelli’s dominant start to the Formula One season at just 19 years old.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc knew the Mercedes pilot — and current championship leader — was destined for greatness long before he reached the F1 grid.
“I’ve been hearing about Kimi since a very, very long time. I think already in karting I started hearing his name,” Leclerc said Thursday at the Canadian Grand Prix. “When it’s like that, you know that driver has got something very special.”
Early in his F1 career, Antonelli is already living up to those expectations.
The Italian teenager joined Mercedes last year following Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. He became the third-youngest driver in F1 history and earned his first podium in Montreal last June during an up-and-down rookie campaign that ended with a seventh-place finish in the standings.
This season, Antonelli has taken a massive leap.
He leads the drivers’ championship with 100 points after winning the last three races, opening a 20-point gap over his more experienced teammate, George Russell, a popular pre-season favourite in Mercedes’ lightning-quick car.
Antonelli’s youth, Leclerc said, might be his advantage.
“It’s in the moment of your career where you don’t ever think, you just drive,” Leclerc said. “You can feel that with Kimi, and that’s why he’s exceptionally quick.”
On Sunday in Montreal, Antonelli can become just the fourth active driver to win four consecutive races, joining multi-time world champions Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen.
“There’s not that many drivers that can deliver at that age,” said Verstappen, who captured his first of four consecutive world titles at 24. “It’s still very early on in the season, so you need to replicate it weekend after weekend, but he’s a very naturally gifted driver, and it’s exciting to see him do so well.
“I just hope for him as well that he can keep that up and he can have a great shot at the title.”
Mercedes has won all four races heading into Round 5 of 22 in Montreal. The German outfit brought upgrades this weekend after McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull narrowed the gap with improved parts at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month.
After claiming his first career victory in China and following it up with wins in Japan and Miami, Antonelli’s objective this weekend is “definitely to add the fourth.”
“I did not expect to have such a strong start to the season, but I’m not complaining,” said Antonelli with a smile, in contrast to his aggressive, late-braking driving style. “The first win, it felt like breaking the ice and just stepping up and unlocking a new level.”
“I am very well aware of the position that I am now, with a really strong car,” he added. “I try not to worry too much about it and not get carried away with it.”
Antonelli’s success has intensified the spotlight on Russell, who was expected to be Mercedes’ leading man in his fifth season with the team.
But the 28-year-old Brit insisted he’s not thinking about the world title this early in the calendar.
“I’m just looking at myself as my main competitor, and that’s what I’ve done over the last seven years,” he said. “I know that if I tick all of my boxes, I know I can beat anybody.”
“It’s just another race, and it’s not even in my mind, the championship,” he added. “There’s no cause for concern. It’s business as usual and (we’ll) see what this weekend brings.”
Russell won the season-opening race in Australia but has slipped off the podium in each of the last two events, including a fourth-place finish in Miami three weeks ago that widened Antonelli’s lead.
Montreal could be the perfect site to regain momentum. Russell has taken pole position at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in each of the past two seasons and won last year’s Canadian GP.
Antonelli posted the fastest lap to lead Russell during Friday practice ahead of qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race, happening for the first time in Montreal.
“He’s performing on a really great level, but I knew that was within him always, and I saw it last year,” Russell said of his teammate. “He’s a fantastic driver.”
STILL IN THE FIGHT
Russell doesn’t have to look far for proof that a championship battle can shift quickly. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri led the standings for much of last season, but teammate Lando Norris grabbed the title. Verstappen also finished two points behind Norris despite trailing by 102.
Norris is reminding himself of that as he trails Antonelli by 49.
“Every point matters from the beginning of the season, even if you think you’re not in the fight,” he said. “One point here or there because you do a slightly better lap, because you pay a bit more attention to something, because you make one less mistake, can add up.”
HAMILTON’S BIG CRUSH
It’s no secret that Hamilton loves racing in Montreal, where he’s a seven-time winner and earned the first of his record 105 victories in 2007.
“One of my favourite places to come in the season,” Hamilton said. “My mum’s coming this weekend, because the atmosphere in the city is electric, and then just to come to this little tidy island and have such an iconic weekend, where the fans are probably the closest that they get through the year.
“Definitely one of the best Grands Prix.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2026.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
