Kimi Antonelli told key Michael Schumacher lesson he needs to learn in F1 title fight

Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has claimed that championship leader Kimi Antonelli must learn how to manage a compromised car if he wants to secure titles, drawing comparisons to Michael Schumacher’s ability to nurse damaged machinery.

The 19-year-old driver endured a bruising British Grand Prix at Silverstone, finishing 15th. While he looked in contention to fight Charles Leclerc for the victory, he suffered a dislodged wheel shield that hampered his afternoon.

As he fought against steering issues and struggled to keep the Mercedes machinery on track, he refused to retire to try and score any points he could, but the car issues and a track limits penalty saw him walk away from the grand prix with no points.

During an episode of the High Performance Racing podcast, Szafnauer suggested that Antonelli will learn how to manage a damaged car like champions, including Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, as he gains more experience in Formula 1.

“That could be all part of learning the sport, it’s part of growing up for him in the sport. Could very well be. But I can tell you, Michael Schumacher was a genius at that, bringing the car home and it didn’t matter. I mean, there are races where he only had fifth gear left,” Szafnauer explained.

“And he brought the car home. He was really, really good. And there’s some drivers that are good at that and others that I think need to learn. And I’m not saying Kimi isn’t, but it could be something that he’s got to learn in the future.

“And once you do that, then that’s another string in your bow that you need to win those world championships.”

The 10th round of the 2026 season, the Belgian Grand Prix, will take place at Spa-Francorchamps from 17-19 July.

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