René Arnoux: Ferrari? Too many mistakes; Antonelli maintains Mercedes’ high standard

Frenchman René Arnoux, who has competed in 149 Grand Prix races and won seven, is deeply impressed by the 20-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Arnoux speaks very highly of the Italian teenager in *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, saying: “Kimi is a mature and calm person; I’m sure he’ll keep a cool head. In recent races, he has focused on the World Championship and avoided unnecessary risks. He must carry on exactly like this.”

René Arnoux

Foto: XPB

“In Formula 1, talent isn’t enough; you also need intelligence and a bit of luck. Qualities that Kimi has demonstrated over the course of the year. He drives almost flawlessly, apart from that slip-up in qualifying in Azerbaijan. In the second half of the season, he’s managed to maintain a high standard against a Mercedes team that’s no longer dominant.”

“What he’s achieved at such a young age really impresses me. He’s now the undisputed leader at Mercedes, whilst George Russell has taken a back seat. Everyone loves him, including team principal Toto Wolff, who has been following him since his karting days. You can see how happy he is when Antonelli achieves a good result. Kimi has learnt from his mistakes in 2025 and has developed enormously in a very short space of time.”

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Commenting on Ferrari’s situation, the 1983 World Championship bronze medallist said: “I thought it was a shame that Lewis Hamilton apologised to Ferrari after the Singapore Grand Prix. The team had made mistakes at Silverstone and in Hungary, so this time he preferred to make the decision himself.”

“The fundamental problem is that far more mistakes are made in Maranello than at the other teams. This year, Ferrari have a good car, but they’ve lost a lot of points due to poor strategies.”

Arnoux on the fierce battle between Verstappen and Leclerc shortly after the start of the Singapore Grand Prix: “I always say – if a gap opens up, a driver has to go for it, however small it may be. Max has shown this mentality throughout his career. There are very few opportunities to attack on the Marina Bay Circuit, so the race could have taken a different turn if Leclerc had got past Verstappen.”