Antonelli sees Verstappen as biggest 2027 threat

Kimi Antonelli, who won the 2026 Formula 1 world championship in his first attempt, believes defending the title will be harder than winning it. Speaking to Italian media in San Marino, he named Max Verstappen as the driver most likely to cause him problems in 2027, while also expecting Mercedes teammate George Russell to become more consistently competitive.

Antonelli said the revised 2027 regulations will be like starting from scratch, and that the competition is already close, with Red Bull and McLaren improving and Ferrari still in contention. He said he is hungrier than before despite securing the title in Mexico, but acknowledged Mercedes is no longer as dominant as it was at the start of the season.

He also said he had hoped the season would finish at Imola rather than Abu Dhabi, and would welcome Imola as a permanent fixture on the calendar.