F1 Pundit Davide Valsecchi believes Kimi Antonelli is on the same “trajectory” as Oscar Piastri.
Antoneri won his Maiden F1 podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix last time.
The Italian finished third in Montreal, becoming the third youngest podium finish in sports history.
Antonelli’s rookie season was not just simple sailing, with credibility issues that hindered his progress.
Antonelli also has the tough job of playing George Russell, one of F1’s outstanding performers this year.
Speaking about the Red Flags podcast, Valsecchi sees similarities between Antonelli and Piastri.
Piastri began his Formula 1 career with McLaren in 2023, and has been steadily improving compared to the previous year.
Australia is at the top of the 2025 F1 driver’s ranking, 22 points ahead of teammate Rand Norris.
“I know that in this Formula 1, Piastri showed that to speed up the qualifying round, you need to experience a bit,” Valsecki said.
“The first year isn’t that competitive, the second year gets better, and now he’s the best or one of the best. So the trajectory he has is very impressive and he’s the third youngest guy in Formula 1. That means something.”
Antonelli has the advantage of being in Mercedes
Given the different pressures, Valsecchi feels that Antoneri is in an advantage with Mercedes rather than Ferrari.
The Italian press is known for being tough at Ferrari, and rumors are swirling ahead of the final race in Canada about the future of team boss Fred Vasser.
“When drivers aren’t mature enough to become world stars, they’re already under a lot of pressure (Ferrari fans). And, “Did you hear an interview from Kimi Antoneri? 16, come on,” he added.
“Let him live, do you understand what I mean? I work for another team that is an Italian foreigner.