Kimi Antonelli rejects Ayrton Senna F1 comparisons - "I'm still very far from his level"

Kimi Antonelli has dismissed comparisons between himself and the legendary Ayrton Senna, stating he 'doesn't like' the suggestion.

Antonelli's stock has risen enormously this season, with a five-race winning streak taking him to the top of the Formula 1 drivers' standings, 41 points clear of the driver he replaced at Mercedes, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Prior to the Barcelona weekend, the Italian had been on a run of incredible form, with on-track tensions rising between him and team-mate George Russell.

This form, and the fact that Antonelli bears more than a passing resemblance to three-time champion Senna, has led to comparisons being drawn between the pair, but the Mercedes driver is having none of it. 

Asked is such comments pile extra pressure on his shoulders, Antonelli said: "Wow, what a strong question. 

"No, I haven't read about that, and to be fair, I don't really also like the comparison because I don't feel like I should be compared to someone who has made the history of the sport and I haven't done not even a single bit of what he has been able to achieve. So I don't feel like it's very fair. 

"Also, I myself, I don't really like it because I said before, for all these reasons. 

"Yes, he's my idol, he's someone I get inspired, but I just feel like it's not really fair to get compared to him, especially at this stage of my career, because it's just the beginning and there's still so much to achieve, so much to do and so much to improve, and I feel like I'm still very far from his level. So that's my answer."

Antonelli backed 100% for title success

Antonelli was on course for at least a podium finish in Spain before a reliability problem struck which forced him to retire. Having taken what should have been the net race lead from Russell one lap prior, he had begun to pull a gap, but was still likely to face a challenge for the win from Hamilton, who had not yet stopped, in the closing laps.

Asked ahead of the weekend whether anyone could overturn Antonelli's points margin, which stood at 66 at that moment, Carlos Sainz was clear in his thoughts. 

"Well, I don't think we even know how many races are left, because of the calendar also," he said. "So it's difficult to put a number to it, of how much it's Kimi's to win or to lose. But I think he's been driving great. 

"I think he's done an incredible year so far. I think he's maximising his car and his chances of winning races. I think the closer it gets to a Championship, normally the pressure also gets higher and higher, as we saw last year with Oscar and Lando. The closer you get to that crunch point, when you see the Championship is yours or not, I think that's when it gets real. 

"And I back 100% in Kimi that he can do it. So, I don't know. It's going to be super exciting to see. I think it's going to be a great championship and I think so far, if he keeps driving like he's driving, it's going to be very difficult for anyone to beat him."