Daniel Ricciardo believes Kimi Antonelli’s age and innocence are what have made him so profitable within the 2026 System 1 season.
9 victories to this point in his sophomore F1 marketing campaign have taken Antonelli to the brink of his maiden world title. All of the Mercedes driver must be topped in Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix is ninth place, or for neither George Russell nor Lewis Hamilton to win.
This may make the 20-year-old F1’s youngest-ever champion, beating Sebastian Vettel’s present file by greater than three years.
Ricciardo, who made his F1 debut at 22 years outdated and retired from the world championship at 35, believes he is aware of precisely how Antonelli feels – and the way that makes him so robust.
“I acquired requested by a good friend about Kimi Antonelli the opposite day, and I mentioned ‘ignorance is a superpower’ – you understand, ‘being younger’ is what I’m actually attempting to say, I’m not attempting to be imply to him in any respect,” the Australian advised the Past The Grid podcast. “Being younger is a superpower, being ignorant and never having been so uncovered to the world and issues like that.
“I keep in mind my first yr at Red Bull Racing; you’re naive, you’re younger, you’re ignorant. I don’t know, the whole lot’s straightforward and it comes straightforward, and it’s simply, ‘Oh wow, I’m successful, cool, I’ll simply preserve successful, trigger I’m one of the best’.”
Ricciardo joined Crimson Bull’s important squad for the 2014 season following compatriot Mark Webber’s retirement, teaming up with Sebastian Vettel; he unexpectedly took all three of the outfit’s victories that yr, noticeably outperforming the reigning four-time world champion.
Daniel Ricciardo, Crimson Bull Racing RB10, leads Sebastian Vettel, Crimson Bull Racing RB10
Photograph by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Photographs
There may be an apparent parallel with the best way Antonelli has surpassed Russell this yr regardless of the Briton being Mercedes’ established star.
“I don’t imply to check myself to him or something, however the energy of being younger in some conditions the place this sport and the world may be very intense, and through the years you’re simply going to build up baggage…” Ricciardo continued.
“Proper now I feel he’s at that candy spot the place he’s clearly very gifted, very quick, however he hasn’t but actually acquired any baggage, so it’s like, let’s simply go and race. There’s nothing actually occurring on the market, which is a superpower.
“That turned so much tougher for me because the years went on. Even clearly the choice in 2018 to maneuver on from Crimson Bull… These items, you clearly query them, and as years go on, it’s like ‘I haven’t actually discovered success or possibly how I’d pictured it to go’. These items preserve popping up. ‘Was that call proper? Now I’ve completed this, is that proper?’
“Once more, an accumulation of many issues, and I feel by the top I needed to dig very deep to search out one thing the place earlier than it was simply straightforward – I didn’t actually need to assume, it was simply there.”
After successful america GP, Antonelli pledged to keep up his philosophy for the rest of the season, no matter his impending coronation.
“I’ll method it with the identical mindset, simply attempting to have as a lot enjoyable as doable, attempting to hopefully battle for one more win,” he mentioned. “However it might be greatest to complete on a excessive, and that is the purpose. I am simply going to attempt to get pleasure from the remainder of the season any longer.”
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