Max Verstappen has praised championship leader Kimi Antonelli for a \u201creally impressive\u201d first half of the 2026 season, with the Dutchman conceding that the Mercedes racer has been \u201crock solid\u201d through the year so far.<\/p>\n
After scoring his maiden Grand Prix victory at Round 2 in China, Antonelli<\/a> embarked on a run of five consecutive wins \u2013 becoming the youngest-ever driver to head the Drivers’ standings<\/a> in the process.<\/p>\n While he has experienced some difficult moments \u2013 including a DNF in Barcelona due to a mechanical issue, and another reliability problem at Silverstone where he dropped out of the points \u2013 the teenager continues to hold an advantage of 50 points from closest rival Lewis Hamilton<\/a>.<\/p>\n The season has been tougher, meanwhile, for four-time World Champion Verstappen<\/a>, who currently sits in P6 of the standings with a deficit of 110 points to Antonelli.<\/p>\n Following a second-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the start of the sport\u2019s summer break, Verstappen namechecked Antonelli when asked which driver had managed to produce the best performance during the first half of the season.<\/p>\n