The former Ferrari driver lays out his cards for the World Championship: “Between Kimi and George the stakes are too high. Ferrari? I think at least one victory will come. Hamilton reborn? I don’t know, Leclerc outclassed him in Suzuka. Does Max want to leave? It’s tough for him to find himself in mid-table…”
There is one aspect that Eddie Irvine and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have in common: they both know how to surprise. No one would have thought that the Briton would move to Ferrari in 1996 or that he would fight for the title in 1999. Likewise, Mercedes’ choice to focus on the Italian rookie was surprising. Antonelli, however, swept away the doubts in a very short time, achieving three podiums in 2025 and two consecutive successes this year.
Irvine, do you think Antonelli can win the World Championship?
“I first heard about him from Luca Baldisserri, who was my race engineer at Ferrari. He described him to me as an extraordinary talent after seeing him in the lower series. And I have to admit that he was right. It’s been a long time since Italy had a driver of this caliber. Kimi is a real contender for the title, but it’s still too early to say anything about how the season will end.”
In the past, title duels have caused incidents between teammates. Could history repeat itself with Antonelli and Russell?
“I’m one hundred percent sure of it. The stakes are too high and the drivers have similar performances. Therefore, Toto Wolff cannot intervene with team orders. He has experienced very tense situations, when Lewis Hamilton fought with Nico Rosberg and then with Max Verstappen. On the latter occasion there was a bad accident at Silverstone. I think the seven-time world champion, who is one of the cleanest drivers in history, was frustrated because the Dutchman was behaving like a bully.”
Could Ferrari enter the battle for the World Championship?
“It’s always very complicated for the red car. The problem is the distance from the F1 universe, which is the United Kingdom. Compared to last year, however, I believe it can achieve at least one success.”
Has Hamilton found himself?
“I wouldn’t take it for granted. In China he was on the podium for the first time with Ferrari, but that is his circuit. In Japan, however, he was outclassed by Charles Leclerc for the whole weekend.”
F.1 has experienced one of the most important revolutions in its history. What are your thoughts on the new regulation?
“I don’t like it at all. They definitely have to make some changes, it’s not possible that everything boils down to how charged the battery is. I love electric cars, I have four of them, but there’s no point in trying to make the top series eco-friendly. And these single-seaters are dangerous.”
Are you referring to the Oliver Bearman incident in Japan?
“Yes, he was going much faster than Franco Colapinto and he had to avoid him. It reminded me of the episode that cost Hitoshi Ogawa his life in the Japanese F.3000. Fortunately this time the cars didn’t touch.”
Verstappen was also very critical. Do you think he could really retire?
“F1 doesn’t need Max, there are a lot of talented drivers. It’s hard for him to find himself in mid-table, but if you think about his salary there are over 50 million good reasons to stay.”
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