Formula 1 News: Antonelli a contender, but tensions likely

(GMM) Eddie Irvine (pictured) believes Kimi Antonelli is already a genuine world championship contender – but warns a potential intra-team battle at Mercedes could turn explosive.

“I first heard about him from Luca Baldisserri, who was my race engineer at Ferrari,” the former F1 driver told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“He described him as an extraordinary talent after watching him in the lower leagues. And I have to admit, he was right. It’s been a long time since Italy had a driver of this calibre.

“Kimi is a real title contender, but it’s still too early to make any predictions about how the season will end.”

However, the former Ferrari driver expects friction if Antonelli continues to match teammate George Russell.

“I’m 100 percent sure of it,” said the Northern Irishman. “The stakes are too high, and the drivers have similar performances. Therefore, Toto Wolff can’t intervene with team orders.”

Irvine also pointed to Mercedes’ past as a warning.

“He experienced very tense situations, when Lewis Hamilton battled with Nico Rosberg and then with Max Verstappen,” he said, referring to Wolff.

Looking beyond Mercedes, Irvine was less convinced his old team can sustain a title push.

“It’s always very complicated for Ferrari,” he said. “The problem is the distance from the F1 world, which is the United Kingdom.

“Compared to last year, however, I think they can achieve at least one win.”

And on Lewis Hamilton’s stronger early form this year, he added: “I wouldn’t take it for granted. In China he got on the podium for the first time with Ferrari, but that’s his circuit. In Japan, however, he was outclassed [properly schooled] by Charles Leclerc all weekend.”