Still, though, he admits to be “definitely surprised” at how much progress he has made.
“I knew that I was going to be better than my first year,” he says. “Obviously, because I think last year, towards the end of the season, I started to put things more together, starting to extract more performance. But still, it was still not great.
“Whereas this year, it’s a lot different. Also as well, with the first win, the first pole, it took a lot of weight off my shoulder.”
While Russell has struggled, Antonelli has blossomed. Everything seems to be coming so easily to him. If he drops back in a race, he recovers seamlessly and quickly. Overtaking moves are done quickly and decisively. There’s not been a circuit on which he has lacked pace.
Russell, by contrast, has admitted to struggling and – while not trying to take anything away from Antonelli, who he is always quick to praise – has expressed his opinion that his his driving style does not suit this year’s new cars.
All of which raises a key question – how much of what is happening this year is Antonelli stepping it up, and how much Russell falling back?
“That’s a very difficult question,” Antonelli says. “I’ve definitely stepped up.
“This year definitely everything is new. So it requires also a little bit of a different approach. And trying to adapt to a different car, which hasn’t been easy.”
His consistency this year, he says, has come from the fact he has found “a nice rhythm in the season”.
“I always try to follow my routines,” Antonelli says, “the way I approach the weekend. I try to approach it all the time the same.
“I’m still finding my way, but I’ve found a way that helps me to be consistent and also helps me to be consistently ready when I go in the car.”
There are still moments when he misjudges things, though. He cites the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, just days after his outstanding win in Monaco, one of the most dominant at that storied track for years.
“Monaco was a very high moment for me in the season, and then I went to Barcelona and I was probably a bit too excited, especially over a single lap,” he says.
“So I was overdriving, I was chasing the lap time and the result didn’t come in qualifying. I was actually a bit far back and didn’t do a good lap.
“But that’s because I was trying to do a bit too much after a very high moment in my career. And then I understood that that is not the way.”
The lesson was applied after his spellbinding win from 19th on the grid at Monza, his home race, a result that Wolff said “closed a cycle” from his 2024 crash.
Antonelli says: “After Monza, I reminded myself, ‘Don’t make the same mistake as you did after Monaco.'”
He won the Spanish Grand Prix seven days later, an eighth victory from 14 races so far this season.
Success has inevitably led to fame, and with it attention.
“Life has changed a lot,” Antonelli says. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been a big change, but it’s nice to see so much support. Definitely, one side is very nice, but on the other side, you have to be careful. You’ve got to protect yourself a bit more because obviously you’re more exposed.”
All year, Antonelli has talked about focusing on process, about doing the best he can on every single day, not thinking about the big picture.
Now, though, for the first time, he acknowledges the title – an achievement that would make him the youngest world champion in F1 history – is on his mind.
“Yes, I thought about it,” he says. “But again, thinking about it, I came always to the same conclusion that the earlier I finish all this, the better it is.
“So I’ve got to just keep pushing. I keep doing the best I can every race. Because, yeah, that’s the way. Just not finish. And until it’s done, it’s not over.”
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