Max Verstappen has insisted Kimi Antonelli will get “even better” as a driver as he sits on the verge of a maiden world championship.
The 20-year-old enters the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend needing only a ninth-place result in the race to clinch the title.
Antonelli’s meteoric rise to the height of F1 success has come in just his second season, having made a substantial step forward after a challenging rookie campaign.
With nine wins in his pocket so far this year, Verstappen predicted that Antonelli will only mould himself into a sharper driver after he wins his first title.
“He hasn’t yet tapped into 100 per cent of his potential, and winning the world title will make him even better,” Verstappen told Bild
“You’ve achieved your life’s goal and start approaching race weekends with a more relaxed attitude.”
In the same discussion, Verstappen also discussed one of the grid’s oldest drivers, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen highlighted that a significant difference between Hamilton and Antonelli is the fact that the latter can still get faster as a driver due to his inexperience.
“He [Hamilton] probably won’t get any faster,” Verstappen said.
“Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying Lewis is getting slower, just that he won’t get any faster. It’s different with Kimi. There’s still a lot more left in him.”