Guenther Steiner Shuts Down Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 Title Hype

Guenther Steiner has asked the people to manage expectations from Kimi Antonelli in 2026 as he fights against George Russell for the title.

Guenther Steiner Shuts Down Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 Title Hype

Kimi Antonelli (via F1), Guenther Steiner (via Motorsport)

In Short
  • Guenther Steiner believes it's too early for Kimi Antonelli to contend for the title against George Russell.
  • Antonelli is currently second in points, closely trailing Russell, but lacks experience compared to the seasoned driver.
  • Steiner emphasizes Antonelli's potential for future championships, urging him not to feel pressured this season.

Kimi Antonelli made headlines after achieving a stellar victory at the Chinese GP. The 19-year-old managed to make history by being the youngest driver to start the race from pole position. Now, after winning the race, many people are betting on Antonelli to potentially battle George Russell for the title win. The Former F1 team boss, Guenther Steiner, believes that it is too early to believe that the Italian will win the title against Russell.

Since the early days of the 2026 season, Mercedes has been rumored to have the fastest challenger on track. Moreover, the German carmaker has picked up consecutive one-two finishes in the first two races of the year. Still, George Russell remains the people’s favorite to emerge victorious in the title battle towards the end of the first season of the new regulations.

However, Kimi Antonneli’s sublime drive at the Chinese GP made people wonder if he could fight against George Russell for the championship. Notably, Russell leads the pack with 51 points, with Antonelli following in close second with 47 points. Still, Guenther Steiner is confident that it might be too soon for the 19-year-old to dream about a championship win, after all.

Guenther Steiner highlighted that Kimi Antonelli was relatively inexperienced compared to George Russell. As such, the Italian-American reckoned that Antonelli couldn’t win the title against Russell this year. Ultimately, the Italian can win the title anytime in his career as he is still young and has a bright future ahead. Steiner is confident that the 19-year-old has a good future in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The kid (Kimi Antonelli) is 19 years old, second year in Formula 1, and George is a good race car driver. So I don’t think he can do it this year, but there are other opportunities for Kimi. If he doesn’t win it this year, he can win it another time because he’s so young. For me, he doesn’t have to put too much pressure on himself to win it this year. He has got a good future in front of him.

Guenther Steiner said on the Red Flags Podcast.

Guenther Steiner reveals “very difficult” to beat George Russell at Mercedes

Certainly, George Russell has been racing in Formula 1 and at Mercedes for much longer than Kimi Antonelli has. The Briton is a highly seasoned driver and has even brought up Michael Schumacher to relate to the delay in his championship victory in the sport. As such, Guenther Steiner pinpoints that it will be very difficult to beat Russell, especially in 2026.

Toto Wolff, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli (via Formula1.com)
Toto Wolff, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli (via Formula1.com)

Guenther Steiner explained that Kimi Antonelli is aware of the situation, not because of George Russell being a better driver, but being more experienced. Ultimately, as soon as Russell is unable to make the most out of a qualifying session, Antonelli is present to make the most of the opportunity and achieve better results than the Briton. Hence, this way, the Italian can certainly provide a tough battle to the 28-year-old.

I think it gives him a lot of confidence because there was an opportunity for him, because under normal circumstances, at the moment, to beat George it’s very difficult. And I think he’s aware of it, not because he’s a better driver – George has got a lot more experience. He’s doing this a lot younger and is very quick as well, but as soon as George couldn’t [maximise] qualifying, he took the opportunity and kept it.

Guenther Steiner noted.

Mercedes is currently the team to beat on the grid and is seemingly untouched in terms of pace. However, the season has just begun, with the teams still figuring out the regulations. Hence, it will be interesting to witness how the German carmaker manages to keep up with its current form and fight for victories at the forefront.

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