Sky Sports Formula 1 pundit Naomi Schiff believes Kimi Antonelli's spectacular victory at the Italian Grand Prix cements his status as a "generational talent", warning that the young Italian could become unstoppable in the championship battle.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver delivered an impressive performance on home soil at Monza. Starting from 19th on the grid, Antonelli carved through the field and capitalised on a mid-race virtual safety car to switch to fresh medium tyres.
He subsequently hunted down his race-leading team-mate George Russell, who had remained on older hard tyres, to claim the win in front of the passionate Tifosi.
"Today, everybody is so impressed by what Kimi Antonelli has done. And obviously, to have a home hero like him who clearly proved today the generational talent that he is," Schiff explained.
"I mean, not only did he climb through the field, but then after that pitstop, he had to close up that gap again, and he just did it. And he took the victory here at home. Incredible."
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
She added: "It took him about six or seven laps before he was behind George. Obviously, George and Max were going at it as well in the beginning. And then I just had a feeling in my heart like, 'Oh gosh, if George looks in the mirrors now and realises his team-mate is already behind him, oh my God, I would have sunk a little bit in that moment.'"
In only his second season in F1, Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the standings after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. From there, he went on to secure four more grand prix wins before the summer break, and his Italian Grand Prix win marks his seventh career victory.
Antonelli now leads the championship with a 66-point advantage over his team-mate Russell.
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Originally published by motorsport.com —
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