Ralf Schumacher claims Kimi Antonelli could become F1’s next Max Verstappen

Ralf Schumacher believes Kimi Antonelli’s Canadian GP win and growing pressure on George Russell show he could one day succeed Max Verstappen

Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes that Kimi Antonelli could become the "successor to Max Verstappen one day".

The Italian driver claimed his fourth consecutive grand prix win at the Canadian Grand Prix and extended his lead in the drivers' championship to 43 points over his Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

The early stages of the grand prix featured a tense intra-team battle between the pair. The pair repeatedly traded the lead, pushing each other to the absolute limit until Russell was forced to retire on lap 30 with a power unit failure.

"Yes, it was an epic duel," Schumacher explained on the Sky Sports Germany broadcast. "And you also have to say, Kimi handles it incredibly calmly and maturely. And George really kept making mistakes there. He himself made one too, of course, but he was clearly the faster man.

"And you first have to manage that at such a young age, to have the situation so under control and to learn from the mistakes he also made. So top job. If this continues, we may really have a successor to Max Verstappen one day."

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Discussing the 19-year-old driver's development, Schumacher added: "Well, let’s put it this way: he came into Formula 1 with a lot of advance praise. But he was also someone who needed a bit of time.

"Then Mercedes also had a wrong development direction, which made things harder for him. Especially at the rear axle last year, if we remember correctly. But then things got going. He picked up momentum, on new tracks, he was immediately on the pace and implemented exactly what was needed.

"And now he’s taking the next step. Now he wants to move forward, now he wants to lead the team. And you can feel that. He’s no longer giving George any room to breathe, let’s say. He’s constantly putting him under pressure. And George is also someone who, I believe, is super fast but perhaps doesn’t deal with pressure quite as well. We saw that again today."