Antonelli leads championship by 81 points with 'zero sign' of pressure, says Palmer

Kimi Antonelli holds an 81-point lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship after closing out the European leg of the 2026 season with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix — his eighth win of the year — and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes the 19-year-old is handling the title fight with remarkable composure.

Mercedes team-mate George Russell sits second in the standings, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton a further 20 points back in third. Antonelli, only in his second season in the sport after replacing Hamilton at Mercedes when the seven-time champion moved to Maranello, has transformed his fortunes almost entirely within 12 months.

“Zero sign. Absolutely zero sign,” Palmer said on the F1 Nation podcast when asked whether Antonelli was showing any indication of feeling the pressure. “He’s not racing like he’s fighting for a championship. Even when you look at the way that he’s fighting with Lando at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, he’s still bombing it over those chicanes, trying to win the race, not trying to settle in.”

The contrast with Antonelli’s situation at the same point last year is stark. During the European leg of the 2025 season, he scored just three points and suffered four retirements — a run that Palmer says left him close to losing his seat altogether.

“It’s kind of poetic, isn’t it? The European summer last year left him on the cusp of potentially losing his seat,” Palmer said. “And fast forward 12 months and the European summer has pretty much left him on the cusp of being a champion. You can’t have too big a paradox for him. It’s been unbelievable.”

Palmer was particularly struck by the consistency Antonelli has shown throughout the campaign. “He’s driving with such confidence. He’s just showcasing his amazing talent now. And the consistency of it once again is what continues to impress.”

With the European swing complete and a sizeable points cushion established, Antonelli heads into the second half of the season as the clear favourite to claim a first Formula 1 world championship in only his sophomore year.