Karun Chandhok believes the Kimi Antonelli Ferrari path never taken was the shrewdest call of the championship leader’s career — and that the credit belongs to his father. Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show after Antonelli’s home win at Monza, the former Formula 1 driver argued that steering the Italian into the Mercedes junior programme rather than Maranello’s spared him a burden no 20-year-old should carry.
Why the Kimi Antonelli Ferrari route was avoided
“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,” Chandhok told Motorsport.com.
“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.”
Vindicated at Monza
The argument is hard to dispute. Antonelli, who took over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat in 2025 as the seven-time champion moved to Ferrari, won the Italian Grand Prix from 19th on the grid for his seventh victory of 2026. He now holds a 66-point cushion over team-mate George Russell.
Chandhok, who has watched Antonelli’s rise since karting, said he found the driver’s family by the Mercedes motorhome afterwards “so delighted” — and could not help thinking how differently the day might have felt in red. Antonelli’s next test comes at the Spanish Grand Prix on Madrid’s new Madring this weekend.
