‘To already be at this pace is very impressive’ – Verstappen and Norris heap praise on Antonelli after rookie’s Miami display

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have both praised Kimi Antonelli for the performances he has delivered in F1 so far following the Mercedes rookie’s maiden pole position at the Miami Grand Prix.

After a composed start to life in the top echelon, which saw him score points in four of his opening five races, Antonelli stepped it up a gear around the Miami International Autodrome and challenged at the front.

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In Sprint Qualifying, the Italian teenager charged to the first pole position of his career, and then secured third on the grid during the main Qualifying session – finishing ahead of experienced team mate George Russell on both occasions.

Speaking in the post-Qualifying press conference, where they flanked Antonelli, reigning four-time World Champion Verstappen and multiple race winner Norris offered their thoughts on Antonelli’s form.

“I’m not surprised,” said Verstappen. “But again, when you just start in F1, there’s so much to learn and to already be at this pace is very impressive.

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“But I’m not surprised at the same time. He’ll only get better, to be honest. It’s as simple as that.”

Norris, having spoken positively about Antonelli earlier in the press conference, initially smiled: “I think I’ve fed his ego enough!

“I mean, similar thing. He’s in F1 for a reason. Everything else he did in his car racing career has been very strong.

“He’s got a very good team mate that beat Lewis [Hamilton] over the last couple of years. So, if he’s now able to beat that team mate, being George, then he’s clearly doing a very good job.”

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Antonelli, who added more points to his tally in the Sprint race and the Grand Prix, responded by saying his counterparts were “too kind”.

Nonetheless, Antonelli’s efforts have helped put Mercedes second in the Teams’ Standings after a quarter of the season, while he holds sixth in the Drivers’ battle – two spots away from team mate Russell.