Guenther Steiner rules out Kimi Antonelli in 2026 F1 title fight despite China win

Guenther Steiner has shot down claims that Kimi Antonelli could fight for the Formula 1 drivers' championship in 2026.

After two rounds of the 2026 season, the Italian driver sits second in the standings behind his Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Antonelli secured his maiden F1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading many to argue that the 19-year-old could fight for the championship this year.

While Steiner agreed that the milestone moment would have given Antonelli "a lot of confidence", he argued that under normal circumstances, he would struggle to beat Russell. During qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, the Briton ran into issues. 

"Definitely damage limitation," Russell said after securing P2 on the starting grid. "In Q2 the front wing broke – we were wrapping our heads around that – and then obviously went out in Q3 on track, the car wasn’t restarting, couldn’t change gear."

Steiner said of Antonelli's victory on The Red Flags Podcast: "I think it gives him a lot of confidence because there was an opportunity for him, because under normal circumstances, at the moment, to beat George it's very difficult.

"And I think he's aware of it, not because he's a better driver - George has got a lot more experience. He's doing this a lot younger and is very quick as well, but as soon as George couldn't [maximise] qualifying, he took the opportunity and kept it.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

"He didn't make a mistake. He sees that and says, 'Actually, I can do this', and that will help him going forward. He didn't do anything wrong. It would be easy to do something wrong when you are in that position. He kept his cool."

When asked if Antonelli could fight Russell for the championship, the former Haas team principal added, "No. If something special happens, like it happened in China in qualifying. And the good thing is he took it there, but under normal circumstances... I think it is also understandable why not.

"The kid is 19 years old, second year in Formula 1, and George is a good race car driver. So I don't think he can do it this year, but there are other opportunities for Kimi. If he doesn't win it this year, he can win it another time because he's so young. For me, he doesn't have to put too much pressure on himself to win it this year. He has got a good future in front of him."