I already know who Kimi Antonelli’s biggest rival will be in 2027

In the midst of the Mexico celebrations, it was apt newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli was hoisted onto the shoulders of Formula 1’s last two dominant forces, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. What follows from this weekend onwards is effectively a four-race lap of honour for the 20-year-old Italian to the season’s end. But rather than a meaningless procession to the finishing line with the championship already sewn up, it acts as a precursor to what could be a championship and a rivalry for the ages in 2027. Few would have predicted Verstappen ending up as Antonelli’s closest challenger. At one point, he was in danger of dropping out of the top 10 in the drivers’ standings and yet in Mexico last week he moved into second spot for the first time this season. Antonelli has much to celebrate – for now (Photo: Reuters) On current pace and form, he looks likely to cement that place at the final four grands prix with the dual threat at Ferrari and the challenge of George Russell having all lost their lustre. Hamilton was once the benchmark for F1, then Verstappen – and now the Dutchman might soon have to admit he shares that with Antonelli. There are stark similarities between the pair – the two most aggressive drivers on the grid, willing to thrash their car around every circuit to extract every bit of performance possible. Plus, the greatest drivers tend to find a way to drive around problems with the machinery at their disposal. Verstappen often had a pig of a car in the previous ground-effect era but could guide it to pole and race wins while his Red Bull teammate disappeared without a trace. Similarly, many have struggled with this year’s new iteration of F1 cars, including Antonelli’s teammate George Russell. Despite clear issues at the start of race weekends, Antonelli’s driven his way to making the car work at specific circuits, hugely impressive for a driver of his relative inexperience. While both different personalities, there is that shared will to win. As former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone put it last week: “Kimi’s the same as Max in that he gets into the car with only one thought in his mind… winning. He’s got all that Max has got: he wants to win and will win no matter what.” The pair are clearly friends and Verstappen has talked with fondness for his rival both as a driver and as a human being. Such niceties may well evaporate amid wheel-to-wheel racing next season, but it was telling when the teenager speared into Verstappen at the start of last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, the older man simply put an arm around him in consolation. The Red Bull has been increasingly competitive in the second half of the season (Photo: Getty) It is in contrast to the spiky relationship Verstappen had with Hamilton in 2021, then with Russell in subsequent seasons. That shift is as much down to personalities as Verstappen’s maturity. Next season is one of regulation evolution rather than revolution, the inference being the grid ought to be pretty similar to how it is now. For all Antonelli’s brilliance this season, Verstappen realistically remains F1’s benchmark but is all too aware his rival will only get better. For all the joy of victory, Antonelli should focus on the mistakes he has made: FP3 in Australia where he hit the barrier, the poor start at the Japanese Grand Prix and losing points at the sprint race in Miami for exceeding track limits. In fact, that last misdemeanour cost him a trio of time penalties during the season and there were other transgressions in China and Hungary. Read more Kevin Garside: George Russell has been mercilessly pumped and might be done for good Christian Horner: My wife Geri has been strong, resilient – an absolute rock Of his rival’s future, Verstappen said: “He hasn’t yet tapped into 100 per cent of his potential, and winning the world title will make him even better. You’ve achieved your life goal and start approaching race weekends with a more relaxed attitude.” And yet there are improvements to come from Red Bull too. Their in-house engine has been quick from the outset – a rival for Mercedes – and their in-season development has once more been impressive. Technical director Pierre Waché has pledged more to come. For Verstappen, gone are the frustrations of the early season where he threatened to walk away from the sport such was his disgruntlement. But instead he has signed a contract extension through to 2030 when the newest set of regulations come into being. By then, a new rivalry for the ages may long have cemented itself.