Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 drivers’ championship following his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, but was quick to dismiss talk of a title charge.

In sport, the saying goes that you are only ever as good as your last performance, and in that regard, 19-year-old Antonelli’s stock could not be any higher. Having become the youngest pole sitter in China, he followed this up by becoming only the second youngest grand prix winner – behind only Max Verstappen in this regard.

This record-breaking streak continued in Japan, as he scored his second success – the first Italian to achieve this since Alberto Ascari in 1953 –  and became the youngest championship leader.

Asked how his success would have been received in Italy, Antonelli said: “I don’t know. I think we’ll find out pretty soon.

“But yeah, I’m not thinking too much about the championship. Of course it’s great, but it’s still a long way to go and need to keep raising the bar because, you know, George is very quick and for sure he’s going to be back at his usual level, and also competitors eventually they will get closer.

“I think we need to keep our head down and keep raising the bar.”

While Antonelli’s typically modest answer follows a trend of taking things one race at a time, it is difficult to imagine him featuring in the title battle, especially given the Mercedes is the class of the field at the moment, with Russell taking the first win of the season in Australia.

Highlighting Mercedes’ dominance, the team leads the constructors’ championship by 45 points from Ferrari.

Mercedes has previous experience of a friendly driver pairing turning sour when the title battle becomes a strictly internal affair, this circumstance arising in 2014 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

While things appear calm in the camp right now, Antonelli was asked if he is ready for a rivalry with his team-mate.

“No, I’m not worrying about that, to be fair,” he said. “I’m just going to focus on myself, on what I need to do, trying to get everything right in terms of procedure, starts, driving.

“I know how strong George is and for sure it’s going to be very hard. Plus, I think Ferrari and McLaren, they will get closer, so it’s going to be important to stay on top of the game, as I said before, keep raising the bar. But I’m not focusing on or worrying about this at the moment.”

Without question, Antonelli is saying all of the right things at the moment and tempering expectations is certainly the way to go. But there is only so long that this will last, and the longer that Mercedes is able to hold its advantage, the more these words will wear thin.

The Miami Grand Prix in May will be a key moment in the battle, with the five week break leading up to the event allowing teams to complete significant development work, something that could potentially shake up or close the order.

Should Mercedes still have a margin to the chasing pack at that event, it could prove the moment for Antonelli to embrace his position as a championship challenger. 

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 drivers’ championship following his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, but was quick to dismiss talk of a title charge.

In sport, the saying goes that you are only ever as good as your last performance, and in that regard, 19-year-old Antonelli’s stock could not be any higher. Having become the youngest pole sitter in China, he followed this up by becoming only the second youngest grand prix winner – behind only Max Verstappen in this regard.

This record-breaking streak continued in Japan, as he scored his second success – the first Italian to achieve this since Alberto Ascari in 1953 –  and became the youngest championship leader.

Asked how his success would have been received in Italy, Antonelli said: “I don’t know. I think we’ll find out pretty soon.

“But yeah, I’m not thinking too much about the championship. Of course it’s great, but it’s still a long way to go and need to keep raising the bar because, you know, George is very quick and for sure he’s going to be back at his usual level, and also competitors eventually they will get closer.

“I think we need to keep our head down and keep raising the bar.”

While Antonelli’s typically modest answer follows a trend of taking things one race at a time, it is difficult to imagine him featuring in the title battle, especially given the Mercedes is the class of the field at the moment, with Russell taking the first win of the season in Australia.

Highlighting Mercedes’ dominance, the team leads the constructors’ championship by 45 points from Ferrari.

Mercedes has previous experience of a friendly driver pairing turning sour when the title battle becomes a strictly internal affair, this circumstance arising in 2014 between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

While things appear calm in the camp right now, Antonelli was asked if he is ready for a rivalry with his team-mate.

“No, I’m not worrying about that, to be fair,” he said. “I’m just going to focus on myself, on what I need to do, trying to get everything right in terms of procedure, starts, driving.

“I know how strong George is and for sure it’s going to be very hard. Plus, I think Ferrari and McLaren, they will get closer, so it’s going to be important to stay on top of the game, as I said before, keep raising the bar. But I’m not focusing on or worrying about this at the moment.”

Without question, Antonelli is saying all of the right things at the moment and tempering expectations is certainly the way to go. But there is only so long that this will last, and the longer that Mercedes is able to hold its advantage, the more these words will wear thin.

The Miami Grand Prix in May will be a key moment in the battle, with the five week break leading up to the event allowing teams to complete significant development work, something that could potentially shake up or close the order.

Should Mercedes still have a margin to the chasing pack at that event, it could prove the moment for Antonelli to embrace his position as a championship challenger.