Kimi Antonelli has "earned the right" to lead F1 title race, says David Coulthard

Mercedes Formula 1 driver Kimi Antonelli has "earned the right" to be leading the drivers' championship, according to former driver David Coulthard.

The 19-year-old driver took the lead of the championship after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix, becoming the youngest driver in the history of the series to lead the standings. His win in Miami extended his lead over his team-mate George Russell to 20 points.

As Russell struggled around the Miami International Autodrome, a track he admits is not one that plays to his strengths, Antonelli successfully converted pole position into another race win despite a difficult start.

"He's come of age," Coulthard explained on the Up To Speed podcast. "He may only be in his second season of Formula 1, but in dealing with not only the pressure of having Lando there ready to pounce, but he also had some technical difficulties with the paddle shift that meant he was having inconsistent downshifts.

"And he was calmed down by his engineer Bono when he had an elevated voice trying to figure out what the problem was. And I'm sure they'll have a conversation about that afterwards as well because in the end, the problem is the problem. You just need to get the information to the team and they will try and find a solution for you.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

"So I think he's absolutely come of age. He has absolutely earned the right to be leading this world championship. And the expectation is now, and this will be uncomfortable for George, but the expectation is that he is leading the team and clearly in results.

"Now George has the experience, he has the quality, he has all of the skills to be able to take ownership of that back again. They both cannot win. Someone's got to be first. Someone's got to be second.

"And while they're trying to figure that out, look where McLaren were. Look at the improvements from Ferrari and Red Bull. It's difficult to win in what's perceived as the best car. There's been many examples where people haven't managed it."