Coulthard calls Antonelli a 'phenomenon' and predicts 2026 title as 81-point lead grows

Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship by 81 points after claiming his eighth win of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, and former grand prix winner David Coulthard believes the 19-year-old is no fortunate beneficiary — he is simply the best driver on the grid.

Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard pushed back firmly against the narrative that Antonelli’s rapid rise has been aided by good fortune. The Italian, in only his second season in Formula 1, took charge of the standings with back-to-back victories at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix earlier in the year and has not relinquished the lead since.

“Some people say you make your own luck,” Coulthard said. “He has found a sweet spot in his second year of Formula 1 with this particular set of rules and regulations. Mercedes have given him a great car. They’re serial winners, and he continues to take risks but somehow has the spatial awareness not to lose an end plate, not to rip the corner off when he’s touched the wall in Turn 7. The results don’t lie.”

Antonelli himself acknowledged after the Spanish Grand Prix that a well-timed virtual safety car played a role in that victory, but Coulthard was unmoved by the concession. “Yeah, call him lucky. I call him a phenomenon. And unless he gets very unlucky, he is going to be the 2026 Formula 1 world champion.”

The scale of Antonelli’s advantage underlines why Coulthard’s confidence is hard to argue with. Teammate George Russell sits second in the standings, 81 points adrift, while seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton — now racing for Ferrari — is third, 101 points behind the leader.

Antonelli’s six wins in the first half of the season were already a remarkable return for a driver in only his sophomore campaign, and the Madrid victory extended that tally to eight with the season still far from over. The next opportunity for his rivals to close the gap comes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scheduled for 24-26 September.