Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claims there is much left for him to prove despite the championship lead he has built up only six races into the new season, Yankee Scores reports.
The 19-year-old Italian holds a 66-point advantage over his Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton following victories in five out of six events so far this year.
His team-mate George Russell, who won the opening event of the season, is also having a run of bad luck, trailing by another two points before the upcoming Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
“There are questions that still need to be answered on my side – how much further I can go in a short period of time, how much I can push myself even further and how much I can grow and how big is the potential?”
According to him, an unsuccessful period during which he underperformed and faced some problems during his rookie season was a significant experience in terms of growing as a driver.
“Last year I would doubt a lot myself, especially during that difficult period in Europe,” he said.
“This year it’s a different story and you mature a lot after one year in F1 not only as a driver but also as a person.
“Last year during the difficult period, I got to know myself better. Considering how bad it was in the moment, I am very grateful it happened because it made me grow a lot and taught me a lot about myself. This year I haven’t been questioning or doubting myself.”
Antonelli ended last season as the seventh-placed driver, three positions and 169 points behind Russell.
