Kimi Antonelli issued warning as title favourite accolade gains momentum

Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger has warned Kimi Antonelli that the title fight is far from over, with last season serving as a reminder of how quickly things can change.

During the 2025 summer break, Oscar Piastri was viewed as the clear title favourite but suffered a shocking downfall in the second half of the campaign.

The Australian ended up finishing third in the standings, behind eventual world champion Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

For much of the first half of last year, Norris was often negative about himself in the media, in a similar fashion to George Russell this season.

With six wins from 11 races and a 50-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli is seen as the clear title favourite and is widely expected to secure the championship.

However, in Berger's eyes, nobody can get too far ahead of themselves or rule themselves out, based on the evidence of Norris' run to the crown.

"This is F1," Berger told the official F1 website. "If you are in a top team in F1, you always have to deal with somebody coming in quick. 

"I’m sure Lewis Hamilton also wishes sometimes for somebody other than Charles Leclerc, from a speed point! George had a wake-up call from Antonelli – Antonelli seems to be quite special, no question. George, I can see he’s pushing very much, I can see he puts it very much to the limit.

"I don’t think it’s the right way to put money on it [who wins the title]. One is the risky, young, hot blood, the other is already much more experienced and will play the ball back into Antonelli’s field.

"Last year, in the beginning, it looked like Oscar Piastri was going to beat Lando Norris, and Norris turned the page around and won the championship. That’s all open in F1. It will be open until the end."