Max Verstappen and Lando Norris hail 'rock solid' Kimi Antonelli as F1 breaks for summer

Max Verstappen has led the praise for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, describing the 19-year-old's performances as "rock solid" after the Italian extended his lead at the top of the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship heading into the summer break.

Antonelli, who is in just his second season at motorsport's top level, has led the standings since the end of March and held a 50-point lead over Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton as the sport broke for summer. The Mercedes protege — who turns 20 on August 25 — joined Verstappen as the only driver to win a race as a teenager in the sport's history when he won his maiden Grand Prix in China, and has since added five more victories to his tally.

When asked after the Hungarian Grand Prix which driver had produced the best performance in the season's first half, Verstappen — sitting alongside Antonelli and race winner Lando Norris in the post-race press conference — did not hesitate.

"I think, if you look at the front, Kimi has done a really good job," said Verstappen. "Really strong, really solid, being the strongest in the team. I think, if he just keeps it going — of course, he's also been very unlucky sometimes, so that's been, I guess, a bit of a shame — but as a 19-year-old, so far, I think he's been rock solid. So, that's really impressive to see as an outsider, I guess."

The Dutchman, who has a friendly relationship with Antonelli, added: "For me, it's definitely been a bit of a jungle this year, but I'm just trying to enjoy it where I can. Of course, when the car is a bit nicer to drive, you can enjoy it a little bit more, even though, most of the time, you don't really enjoy it. But that has more to do with other stuff, you know, when you're a bit flat on battery. But, yeah, overall, a very strong performance [from Antonelli]. It's nice to see. He's, first of all, a nice guy and a very strong driver, so that's a good combination."

Hungarian GP victor Norris echoed Verstappen's assessment. "I think you have to say Kimi, as a complete package," the McLaren driver said. "They have a great car, and he's done an incredible job, convincingly beating his team-mate every single weekend. So, when you're talking about a championship, you have to give credit to Kimi."

Norris, who claimed his first win of the 2026 season in Budapest, added with a touch of confidence: "When I have a good car like today, I feel like no one's going to beat me. I think you probably have, in front of you, three of the best drivers in Formula 1. There are still plenty of others, but it's impossible to really compare these things. I think everyone who's sat here is doing an incredible job and probably getting the most out of the car, and that's what you can really ask for."

Antonelli himself remained characteristically humble. "I don't really like judging, but I feel like I've done a good first half," the Italian said. "But, as Lando and Max said, it's really hard to compare car to car. I think there's still a long way before I reach their level, the two drivers next to me. So, I feel like I'm doing a great job, but there's still a long way to reach their level. So, still lots of work to do."

The Lamine Yamal of Formula 1

The comparison to football's brightest young star has been impossible to ignore. A seamless team performance spearheaded by a 19-year-old who is already one of the biggest stars in the sport — that description applies equally to Spain's Lamine Yamal at the World Cup and to Antonelli at Mercedes.

The parallels go beyond age. Both Yamal and Antonelli have had to deal with intense scrutiny on their performances at an extraordinarily early stage of their careers. Both are getting to grips with tasting success at an incredibly young age — Yamal is already a world and European champion, while Antonelli could this year become the youngest F1 world champion if he maintains his form.

There is also a visible calm patience within Mercedes. There are trying moments, such as the reliability setbacks suffered by both Antonelli and teammate George Russell this year, yet the team handles them as objectively as it does the better times. Like Spain through the World Cup, there is a real serenity about the Brackley outfit.

Wolff: Too early for title favourite tag

Such has been Antonelli's fast and consistent form in Mercedes' championship-leading car that it is the teenager, and not Russell — the clear pre-season bookmakers' title favourite — who now appears the driver most likely to claim this season's championship. Not that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is ready to anoint him just yet.

"It's too early to say," Wolff insisted. "There's so many races to go. A DNF or two can just swing massively and we've not been great on reliability, so we just have to continue to maximise every single day from the Friday onwards to the Sunday. Hopefully at the end, that will be enough."

The numbers certainly back up the optimism. Antonelli has won six of the opening 11 races and has been remarkably consistent, rarely scoring notably lower point hauls than any rival. He leads Russell by 59 points in the intra-team battle — a gap that has only widened over recent rounds as Russell has been blighted by mechanical issues and operational setbacks.

Verstappen, who knows a thing or two about winning championships from his own dominant campaigns, offered a simple verdict: "A very strong performance. It's nice to see."

The Formula 1 season resumes after the summer break with a Sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix from August 21-23, with 12 race weekends still to come and the title fight very much alive.