Kimi Antonelli leads F1’s ‘rookie championship’ ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the Italian enjoys a major car advantage over his fellow newcomers.
Antonelli is driving for a Mercedes team who currently appear to have the second or third-fastest car on the grid. He’s finished in the top six in all three of his full races so far.
Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who partnered Antonelli in F2, currently sits second. Bearman sounded ‘broken’ on his Australia debut, a disastrous weekend, but has recovered admirably with back-to-back points finishes.
| RANK | DRIVER | TEAM | PTS |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 30 |
| 2 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 5 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 4 |
| 4 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 0 |
| 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 0 |
Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar also got off the mark with a P8 at the Japanese Grand Prix. He’s qualified an eye-catching seventh for the last two events.
The remaining two rookies are yet to score, but they can both point to performance limitations. Jack Doohan’s Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly hasn’t been able to crack the top 10 yet either, while Gabriel Bortoleto’s Sauber team still look like the slowest on the grid despite their winter progress.
Damon Hill raves about ‘very impressive’ Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls
Speaking on the Fast and the Curious podcast, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill warmly praised Hadjar. The Frenchman finished runner-up to Bortoleto in last year’s F2 championship.
Hadjar showed scintillating speed at times but was held back by inconsistency as he failed to score points on 13 occasions, including seven of the last 11 races. As a result, Hill wasn’t sure about him coming into this year.
But he’s been pleasantly surprised by the 20-year-old’s ‘incredible’ showings. He outqualified Yuki Tsunoda in China and then beat Liam Lawson at Suzuka following Red Bull’s driver swap.
“I was quite surprised by Isack Hadjar,” he said. “I’d seen him in F2 but I hadn’t really worked out how to quantify him.
“I think what he’s done has been incredible. I think it’s been very impressive. He’s been strong, very good.”
Hill’s former Sky colleague Anthony Davidson has been ‘impressed’ by Hadjar too. He started the season in tears after crashing out on the formation lap at a wet Australian GP but, like Bearman, immediately displayed his resilience.
Kimi Antonelli’s F1 start analysed by Damon Hill after he broke Max Verstappen record
Hill was also asked for his thoughts on Antonelli, who dislodged Max Verstappen as the youngest driver to set a fastest lap last weekend. He was only nine when the Dutchman made his Red Bull debut.
Antonelli also became F1’s youngest leader, having extended his medium-tyre stint when others pitted. Hill says he’s already shown glimpses of special talent.
“And Kimi, again there’s no question that there’s something there trying to get out,” he said. “He needs a bit of time and a bit more experience.
“He’s in the right place and the right team for that. He’ll get stronger, but it’s easy to forget the great job that George [Russell, his teammate] is doing.”
Antonelli has received advice from Valentino Rossi, the MotoGP legend. Rossi told him to focus on himself rather than looking too much at others, and that approach seems to be working.
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