Antonelli shows echoes of Verstappen as Russell’s worst fears are confirmed

Max Verstappen has never been one for the record books, shrugging his shoulders dismissively whenever the matter is raised.

Despite his apparent disinterest, he remains Formula One’s youngest race winner while Kimi Antonelli has twice sealed his place in the record books in successive grand prix weekends.

First, the Italian became the youngest pole sitter in history in China and now he is the youngest championship leader.

As if reminders were needed of his youthfulness, he was handed a non-alcoholic bottle of fizz on the winner’s podium in Japan where the drinking age is 20.

Beyond just the age-breaking records, there are echoes of Verstappen, notably in the manner in which he hammered rapid lap after lap at the front of the field when the race win was assured and easing off would have been most drivers’ approach.

By the end, he was at least half a second a lap quicker than the rest of the field.

Sure, he had a monstrous slice of luck with the timing of the safety car which denied George Russell a shot at the race win.

“Unbelievable,” his Mercedes teammate decried at his misfortune of his pitstop just a lap before Ollie Bearman crashed at 190mph to bring out the safety car.

Russell’s one-word comment could just as easily have applied to Antonelli. It is as if he has taken a giant step in maturity in the past two weeks.

In Shanghai, there had been floods of tears at the realisation of a dream, in Suzuka, his reaction was a tad more lackadaisical as though winning had become commonplace. It might well do. In Japan, he also talked of a weight having been lifted from him following that maiden win and it showed.

There was still time after victory No 2 to play up to the fans, channelling Usain Bolt’s lightning bolt celebration for those in the grandstands but he seemed more concerned about both his good luck and his own driver error.

A mistake with the clutch off the grid from pole meant he went beyond the grip available, wheel spin ensued and, as he put it, he “was a sitting duck”.

The start has been his Achilles heel this season and he talked about spending the next five weeks focusing on that rather than resting on the laurels of a championship lead.

And yet it is worth remembering that he had dominated the weekend up to that point, comfortably outdriving his teammate to take a deserved pole position.

In China, Russell had been undone by mechanical issues in qualifying, not so here, the more experienced man was simply beaten on pace.

Without bad luck, Russell may well be leading the standings comfortably now but the reality is somewhat different, Antonelli nine points clear after three grand prix weekends.

The exciting thing for F1 and the worry for Russell is how much better Antonelli can still get.

Is there a danger he now gets in the head of the man heralded as the champion-elect in the very first part of the season?

Of a possible title fight, Antonelli was right to point out, “It’s too early to think about the championship.” After all, there are still 19 races left to go even in this shortened season.

Comparisons to Verstappen may seem premature with only two grand prix victories to the four-time world champion’s 71.

He appears to lack the Dutchman’s ruthlessness and yet, behind the wheel, he increasingly has the required X factor.

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff knows he has a job to keep his young charge in the right headspace going into this hiatus.

He joked about sending him back to driving school after his start mishap but not in a manner to talk him down.

And he observed his role was now, “to protect him from people talking about world championships”. That becomes harder to do with each race win.