Bold prediction: World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli will be like George Russell in the future

Kimi Antonelli is riding a wave of success: the young Mercedes driver celebrated six Grand Prix victories before the summer break and went into the summer break as championship leader, 50 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and 59 championship points ahead of his team-mate George Russell.

The teenager from Bologna takes a determined approach on the track – and some observers describe his style as aggressive. George Russell, on the other hand, is seen as a level-headed driver, although the veteran in the German carmaker’s works team also takes no prisoners in a duel, as he demonstrated in Canada, for example.

For Thierry Boutsen, one thing is certain: age plays a major role here. He believes that the Italian, who is only 19, will mature over the years. Speaking in an expert round-up on ‘Formula1.com’, the Belgian says: “I think if you look back at George in his first Formula 1 season, you can see that he was just as aggressive as Kimi. But he’s learnt a lot, he’s calmed down and has matured. He drives completely differently now. And I believe that Kimi will be just the same in three or four years’ time.”

Boutsen believes: Russell will be back at the top

“His driving style will certainly be different from what it is today; at the moment he’s very aggressive, taking every single opportunity, even if that means going off the track a few times, as he did in Canada. They’re at very different stages of their careers, which explains the difference. And as for the future, I don’t know who will come out on top. It’s hard to say; they’re both very, very good drivers,” explains the three-time Grand Prix winner.

Boutsen is convinced that Russell will get back on track: “It’s perfectly normal to go through phases in your career where everything is going very well, and then suddenly you lose a bit of confidence. The car has a problem, then you lose even more confidence and go through a phase where everything goes wrong. George will definitely fight back. As soon as he gets the chance, he’ll be back on form. Drivers go through such moments of doubt, and Kimi will be no different in that respect. Perhaps not this year, perhaps next year, perhaps not for another two years – we’ll see.”

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