Kimi Antonelli avoiding Ferrari was "best thing" his father did, says Karun Chandhok

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok believes that Kimi Antonelli's path through the Mercedes junior programme rather than Ferrari's is the "best thing" his father Marco could have done.

Antonelli, who replaced seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025, is currently dominating the 2026 season. He became the youngest driver to lead the standings after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix and has gone from strength to strength since. 

Last weekend, he won his home Italian Grand Prix, which was his seventh grand prix win of the season. He now holds a 66-point lead over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell heading into the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

During an appearance on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Chandhok reflected on Antonelli's path to the series and argued that while the Ferrari fan base would likely have loved having an Italian driver, it would have been too much pressure for the 20-year-old if he had been part of the Ferrari junior programme.

"Looking back on that weekend, I actually think by not making him a Ferrari junior, not putting him in front of Ferrari, not trying to make him a Ferrari young driver, and going down the Mercedes path is actually the best thing that Marco Antonelli's done for his son," the former driver explained.

Marco Antonelli celebrates in parc ferme.

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

"It's taken the pressure off in so many ways. Could you imagine if he was there as a Ferrari Italian driver? The pressure would be unbelievable. Mercedes have done a fantastic job of nurturing him and bringing him here.

"I saw Kimi's parents and his sister afterwards by the Mercedes motorhome and they looked so delighted with the fact that obviously he'd won the home grand prix and they had a lot of their friends and family there.

"I couldn't help but think they've managed to take away some pressure by not having him as a Ferrari driver. And for the sake of the sport and the sake of Ferrari, I hope in 10-15 years' time, when Kimi's achieved a whole lot of things, maybe he will become a Ferrari driver. It'll be great for Ferrari to have him one day, but I think it's good now for him to have his early years as not a Ferrari driver."

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- The Motorsport.com Team