Kimi Antonelli’s honesty with media will inevitably change, says David Coulthard

David Coulthard believes that Kimi Antonelli's current refreshing and honest demeanour with the media will inevitably change as his Formula 1 career progresses.

The Italian driver has kicked off his second season in the championship with strong form. With dominant Mercedes machinery underneath him, he celebrated his maiden F1 win at the Chinese Grand Prix and took the lead in the championship with another win in Japan, becoming the youngest driver to lead the drivers' standings.    

Antonelli has received praise from fans for his honest interviews, but Coulthard has argued that this will change.

"Well, mark my words, it will change because he's going to grow up in the public eye," Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast. "He's going to go from being 'this is all new and exciting' and go, 'I'm getting invited to being courtside at the basketball' or wherever he happens to go, to suddenly it will start to become a little bit tiresome because people will want something from him all the time.

"So let's put a mark in the sand. See that sort of joyful smile. Let's fast forward, maybe not this year, but certainly throughout his career, he will become a little bit battle-weary. We don't want him to lose that enthusiasm right now."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Ayman Yaqoob - Anadolu - Getty Images

Beyond his media obligations, the former driver questioned how the 19-year-old will cope with the physical and mental demands of fighting for a championship across the long season.

"The other thing will be does he have the pace of a grand prix season, because that is tiring and I think that's what we saw with Oscar Piastri last year," he added. "He got to Baku, needed to win that race and made a series of mistakes, and that's where Lando, having more experience, was able to come through.

"So, if I was George Russell, this is a war zone. No more Mr Nice Guy. We said it after Kimi got his first victory."