Antonelli leads F1 championship by 43 points but refuses to think about the title

Kimi Antonelli leads the 2025 Formula 1 world championship by 43 points after winning four consecutive grands prix, yet the 19-year-old Mercedes driver says a potential title is the last thing on his mind. His advantage grew sharply at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, where team-mate George Russell led before a power unit failure ended his race and handed Antonelli a commanding victory.

What had been a virtual 11-point gap while Russell led in Canada ballooned to 43 points by the chequered flag — the largest margin Antonelli has held at any point in the 2025 season. With at least 17 rounds still to run, the Italian rookie is choosing caution over confidence.

“I’m not thinking about the championship,” Antonelli said. “I’m just focusing on race by race. I think it’s still very early to talk about that. Now I have this gap but that doesn’t mean that I can relax and just take it easier. Instead, I need to keep levelling up and keep raising the bar because it’s not going to be easy and competitors are getting closer, and also George is super quick.”

His restraint appears well-founded. Although Antonelli had outqualified Russell four times in succession before Canada, Russell reclaimed the upper hand in both qualifying sessions at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve — by an identical margin of 0.068 seconds each time — suggesting the gap between the two Mercedes drivers remains razor-thin.

Max Verstappen, who finished on the Montreal podium alongside Antonelli, offered a measured assessment of the young Italian’s title prospects. “He’s clearly doing a great job,” the four-time champion said. “A championship is long and they’re won by just being consistent, not making mistakes. But he knows that. What he’s doing right now is working really well.”

Lewis Hamilton, seated beside Antonelli in the post-race press conference, drew a comparison with his own debut title battle in 2007, when he fought Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen as a 22-year-old McLaren rookie. Hamilton suggested Antonelli’s environment is more stable than his own was at that age. “It was a lot,” Hamilton said of 2007. “I don’t think I had the same support system that he has today.”

Should Antonelli sustain his current form, he would become Formula 1’s youngest world champion, surpassing Verstappen’s record. For now, though, the Mercedes driver appears determined to let the standings take care of themselves.