Antonelli currently leads the F1 drivers’ championship and has won the last three races. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Former Formula One driver Jean Alesi hailed Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the driver the sport needs at the moment. Four races into the 2026 season, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver is currently leading the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship, in his sophomore campaign and has won the last three races.

“Kimi is exactly the driver the F1 needs at the moment. There is a new wave of fans, with the young guys and the girls very interested in what is happening in our sport. Kimi, if you look, he’s fresh, and he’s happy,” said Alesi ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

Alesi, who is of Italian descent, also added that Kimi is in a good place at Mercedes to deal with the pressure from back home in Italy as he fights for the title.

“Italy had the habit of talking about F1 only through Ferrari. And now they have a superstar Italian driver who is not driving for Ferrari. So, the Italian press at the moment is in trouble because they say, ‘We cannot speak only about Ferrari when we have a winning driver.’ So, they are split at the moment. But saying that, Kimi at the moment is in very good hands with Toto Wolff (Mercedes team boss),” the 61-year-old Frenchman remarked.

Meanwhile, the former Ferrari driver, who won his only Grand Prix at Montreal with the Scuderia in 1995, urged Charles Leclerc to be patient with the Italian team, despite the team not having had a car capable of fighting for a title since 2019.

“Charles is a pure Ferrari baby, growing inside the company from F3, F2 to F1. The technology is so different now. It’s not just about the project, but it’s also the evolution during the championship and how you can improve on the car. So he is trying to build a team around him to be a world champion one day. I wouldn’t give him the advice to move now,” said Alesi.

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Published on May 23, 2026