Max Verstappen isn't mincing words. When asked about the 2026 Formula 1 title fight, the Red Bull driver cracked a joke that cut straight to the point: "I'm definitely not having a comeback!" The quip came in response to the situation of Kimi Antonelli, who is now in pole position to claim his maiden world championship.
With eight or nine race weekends remaining—depending on what happens with the grands prix in the Middle East at the end of the year—Antonelli is on a fast track to replace Sebastian Vettel as the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. After his victory in Madrid, his Mercedes teammate George Russell can no longer win the title in a scenario where the Briton wins every race and Antonelli consistently finishes second. In other words, Russell no longer controls his own destiny, and on Sunday he admitted he is no longer in the fight.
Amid the spotlight, Antonelli chooses not to think about the title just yet. Though it sounds cliche, that is exactly the mindset that those who know what it takes—Verstappen and Lando Norris—believe the young Italian should have. When both drivers were asked what advice they would give Antonelli for the decisive weeks of the season, the Mercedes driver himself immediately jumped in: "Well, I think they will hope for a comeback!"
Verstappen quickly joked in response: "I'm definitely not having a comeback!" Last year, Verstappen did manage to overturn a sizeable deficit by finishing on the podium in every grand prix after the summer break. But the Dutchman knows the reality is completely different this time. Now, his only aim is a potential race win. Should he fail to win a grand prix this year, it would be the first time since his debut season in 2015 that he hasn't taken to the top step of the podium.
Nevertheless, Verstappen still offered praise and advice for Antonelli. According to him, the Mercedes driver should mainly continue in the same way, without looking at the championship standings too much. "Kimi just needs to do what he's doing. I mean, it's fantastic, it's working really well," Verstappen said. "He should not stress about it too much, which I don't think he is. He's just delivering, he's confident, and he's getting more and more experience. He's still young and he's still very early in his career, but he's already flying. It's just working."
Verstappen added that Antonelli shouldn't overcomplicate things, and so far he isn't. "He has a lot of good people around him that know what he needs, so it's all working well," he continued. Meanwhile, Norris believes that Antonelli's rivals should not give him any more useful advice, as the 20-year-old Italian already knows what to do. With eight races remaining, Antonelli just needs to maintain consistency and focus on each race, while his rivals—including Verstappen and Norris—are still trying to close the gap.
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