Kimi Antonelli leaves F1 icon impressed after unfazed Max Verstappen and Ferrari reaction

Kimi Antonelli left Formula 1 icon Martin Brundle hugely impressed during the Monaco Grand Prix, remaining completely unfazed by the pressure of having Max Verstappen and both Ferraris directly behind him on the grid.

Antonelli delivered a crushing display at the Circuit de Monaco to become the youngest winner at the historic venue, securing his fifth consecutive victory of the season.

It extended his lead in the drivers' standings to 66 points over Lewis Hamilton, with George Russell slipping to third.

Despite it being only his second visit to the Principality, the 19-year-old was flawless, acing every corner in qualifying to secure a famous pole position.

He beat Max Verstappen to pole by just 0.043s, while Hamilton qualified third. It meant Antonelli had a combined total of 11 world championships starting directly behind him.

While Brundle felt the Italian might succumb to the pressure, Antonelli mastered both the race start and the race restart in the closing stages, showing no signs of feeling the strain.

"Kimi Antonelli made less mistakes than all the other front runners despite his relatively limited experience, and claimed pole position in sensational style," Brundle wrote in his Sky F1 column. 

"As race day would demonstrate too, he has found an overdrive for even more speed and is totally at one with his car and team. I thought he'd make mistakes here and clout the barrier at some point, but he was committed yet precise and controlled. 

"The grid was bustling as always and informative too in different ways, but all thoughts were on the short dash to the first corner. Kimi had Max Verstappen to his left who'd done a tremendous job in qualifying in his Red Bull on the front row.

"Behind him were the two fast starting Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, surely this would be big pressure for the teenager?

"Not a bit of it, he made the perfect start, didn't lock his front brakes into the first corner, and then dominated the race, building a half-minute lead before the safety car was called when Lance Stroll crashed in the final turn on lap 60 of 78."