Martin Brundle has already spotted one Kimi Antonelli attribute this season that proves he’s ‘the real deal’

Typically, six Grand Prix weekends don’t provide enough evidence to conclude whether a rookie driver is good enough for Formula 1.

However, that hasn’t proved to be the case for Red Bull or Alpine, who have both already decided to drop Liam Lawson and Jack Doohan respectively, with Franco Colapinto promoted in time for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The other four rookies on the grid have had a much better time, and arguably none more so than Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.

Antonelli currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton and has produced a few brilliant moments in his short F1 career already.

The 18-year-old made up 12 places on his debut in Australia to finish fourth and narrowly miss out on a debut podium.

Antonelli’s pole position lap at the Miami Grand Prix was outstanding, and while he couldn’t convert it into a race win or even a podium finish, it highlighted his immense potential.

Martin Brundle has been left thoroughly impressed by the teenager and has suggested why he believes he’s ‘the real deal’ and potential future world champion.

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Martin Brundle noticed Kimi Antonelli doesn’t ‘crumple’ under pressure at the Miami Grand Prix

During the build-up to the race in Miami on Sky Sports F1 (4/5 7:44 pm), Brundle was speaking about Antonelli’s progress.

He explained, “He hit the track running, didn’t he? He was fast from the get-go, despite having never been around it physically in a car. He had only driven it on the simulator.

“Probably kept with that first corner too long and cost himself quite dearly.

“He’ll live and learn from that one. But yeah, he just keeps improving, he’s the real deal and he doesn’t crumple when it’s going wrong.

“He gets his head straight back into gear again, as he did yesterday. He had a disappointing Sprint and then sticks it third on the grid in the afternoon, and that’s so telling in a young driver that they can reconstruct their heads so quickly.”

It’s an impressive attribute for Antonelli to already possess, especially considering his age.

However, his rapid rise through the junior ranks may explain why he has this attitude.

By not getting stuck at one level for more than a season, he’s constantly having to adapt and take the next step, and by doing so, he’s learning at a rate that few other drivers have ever experienced.

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Kimi Antonelli is already being compared to Barcelona star Lamine Yamal

Typically, when a Formula 1 driver’s reputation goes beyond the scope of the sport’s regular fans, it means they’re doing something right.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has previously commented, via PlanetF1, that Lewis Hamilton has been compared to Michael Jordan due to the dominance of their respective sports.

Antonelli may have already reached that level, with a report from Gazzetta dello Sport suggesting that fans in Spain are already calling him the ‘Lamine Yamal of F1’.

The Spanish teenager has already won the European Championships and is on his way to a La Liga title with Barcelona.

Antonelli achieving that same level of success immediately is hard to imagine, although that’s potentially more down to the nature of Formula 1 than his talent.

It does highlight how excited people are getting about the Italian though, although Brundle has spotted an issue with Antonelli that he needs to fix to become a ‘star of the future’.

However, it’s a small point in the grand scheme of things, particularly when comparing him to his much more experienced rivals.