Jacques Villeneuve highlights the ‘big difference’ between Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli
Following Kimi Antonelli’s near-miss with a bollard in Malaysia, Jacques Villeneuve insists the Italian’s error rate remains a lingering vulnerability.
Former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has highlighted the main difference between Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli that he noticed at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
During the Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, Antonelli made a mistake at the final corner, and narrowly missed out on having to take an extra pit stop, when he clipped the bollard at the pit entrance.
It was after witnessing this that Villeneuve stated that if Antonelli and Verstappen were fighting for the title then the error rate would be a ‘significant factor’ as Verstappen rarely makes mistakes.
However, following on from a mistake in qualifying at Azerbaijan and the near miss in Sepang, Villeneuve has urged Antonelli to proceed with caution as if he keeps making mistakes ‘one of them is going to really hurt’.
Whilst on Sky Sports, Villeneuve said, "The big difference between Max and Kimi is – Verstappen very, very rarely makes mistakes. When he's on his way to a top result, he drives incredibly precisely.
“We see differences not only between Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar, but also between Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.
“The Italian made a mistake in the last corner when he slid straight ahead and clipped a bollard. Kimi was lucky. Had he gone around the bollard on the right, he would have had to pit, even though a tire change wasn't planned.
"If Verstappen and Antonelli were in a title fight, then the error rate would be a significant factor. Red Bull Racing has made up ground, unfortunately for Max, it's too late this season.
"Antonelli can control the World Championship because he knows he's faster than George Russell. And there aren't that many races left.
“Kimi could retire three times in a row, and he'd still be the championship leader! And if he keeps making these mistakes, one of them is going to really hurt."
After finishing second in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Antonelli holds an 84 point lead over his teammate, Russell, with seven races left on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
