F1's youngest world champion? Why Antonelli is ready for title fight
About this episode
Mark Hughes dissects a messy Suzuka weekend shaped by F1’s energy-harvesting rules, where awkward power deployment and safety concerns (including the Oliver Bearman crash) underline the need for urgent FIA changes. He then pivots to Kimi Antonelli’s title credentials: after dominating Suzuka and answering George Russell’s pace, Antonelli looks more than a “clean-weekend” contender. The show weighs how Mercedes team dynamics, engine equalization, and potential race-length/energy fixes could affect the championship—plus Max Verstappen’s threats to quit and what they’d mean for F1.
Leading the F1 title race at the age of just 19, Kimi Antonelli would be the youngest world champion in history if he tops the table at the end of the season.
He's not just there by luck either. As Mark Hughes explains in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show, the young Mercedes driver's victory at the Japanese Grand Prix revealed that he's got the raw pace on take on his more experienced team-mate George Russell in what could be an epic championship battle.
Plus: F1 considers drastic action to ease safety fears - will not have to shorten grand prix? And why Max’s threats to quit should be taken seriously.
More from Mark Hughes and Bryn Lucas on the stories that really matter, in the latest episode of the Motor Sport F1 Show.
Subscribe now for every weekly episode and tell us what you want to know from Mark. Send us a message on social media or find this podcast at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4bNmyPH and drop your questions in the comments. He'll answer a selection of the best every week.
Read Mark's column every Wednesday at https://go.motorsportmagazine.com/4bNmyPH
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.