Kimi Antonelli: Formula 1 champion for the coming years, despite a run of bad luck?

It seems as though fortune has turned: whilst George Russell was the unlucky one in the Mercedes pit at the start of the season, for the past few races it has been his team-mate Kimi Antonelli who has been dogged by bad luck. The teenager, who had been leading the World Championship by a comfortable margin after five magnificent Grand Prix victories in a row, has recently had to watch as his points lead steadily dwindled.

Technical problems struck as early as the seventh race weekend in Spain; Antonelli was classified sixteenth and came away empty-handed, whilst his closest rival, Russell, celebrated second place. The race was won by Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari. The seven-time world champion is currently third in the championship.

In Austria, Antonelli was once again beaming from the podium, albeit ‘only’ in third place, whilst Russell stood on the top step as the winner. And at his home race in Great Britain, the Briton finished a fortunate second – benefiting from the course of the race, which propelled him forwards. Antonelli, on the other hand, had to settle for 15th place; once again, technical problems had prevented the 19-year-old from achieving a strong result.

Is there no rival who can match Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli?

His championship lead over Russell has shrunk to 25 points, and the gap to third-placed Hamilton, at 32 points, is no longer as wide as the Italian frontrunner would probably like. The big question is: will the tide now turn in favour of Russell, who was tipped as the clear championship favourite even before the start of the season? Or will the former serial winner Lewis Hamilton prevail and claim his eighth world title, which he narrowly missed out on in 2021?

If Juan Pablo Montoya is to be believed, Antonelli will triumph this year despite everything. And the former Grand Prix driver goes even further. Speaking to ‘NewBettingSites.uk’, the 50-year-old Colombian – who made 94 Formula 1 starts and secured seven Grand Prix victories between 2001 and 2006 – said: “Kimi Antonelli will be world champion. I don’t think anyone can come close to him. He’ll be the champion for the next three years.”

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