Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes that the expectations surrounding Andrea Kimi Antonelli are disproportionate to the young driver’s experience. According to the Brit, the 18-year-old Italian is being compared too quickly to drivers like George Russell and Max Verstappen, while he is still finding his place in the sport.
Jolyon Palmer – now an analyst at F1TV – stands up for young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is racing in Formula 1 for the first time this year. “Why did we think an 18-year-old rookie would perform better than he is now? Because of the hype,” the former F1 driver explains in the F1 Nation Podcast. “Max Verstappen came into Formula 1 alongside rookie Carlos Sainz. If you put Antonelli next to rookie Isack Hadjar, the results would be much closer than you think. We would think: Wow, that 18-year-old is really achieving impressive results. If you put Max in 2015 next to Sebastian Vettel, it probably wouldn’t go so well for Max.”
“To drive at the level George Russell is now — he’s running a championship season in not the best car, is too much to ask of Antonelli,” Palmer asserts. Russell has qualified ahead of Antonelli in fifteen out of the last sixteen races, with an average difference of about four-tenths of a second. The Brit has been on the podium six times this season, while Antonelli has so far only recorded one podium finish, in Canada.
Benchmark
“I have the feeling that if you gave Kimi a McLaren now, he would be at least equal to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The same goes for Max. And that’s the benchmark we’re giving him,” Palmer continues. “I know Antonelli was a sensation in karting, and that he was very good in Formula Renault and Formula Regional European. But he skipped the step to Formula 3. He has driven one solid year in Formula 2, but otherwise not much. Occasionally a spectacular race, but also a mistake here and there, and he’s already in Formula 1. I still find him talented and good, but I think he just needs to focus on solid weekends and maybe first become a reliable Formula 1 driver.”
