Kimi Antonelli rejects ‘not fair’ Ayrton Senna comparisons after Monaco masterclass

Kimi Antonelli has distanced himself from comparisons to the great Ayrton Senna following his recent run of form.

Antonelli has won the last five races, propelling him to a comfortable lead in the drivers’ championship while still short of his 20th birthday.

Kimi Antonelli shies away from Ayrton Senna comparison claims

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After securing his maiden F1 race win in China, Antonelli has proved unstoppable to equal Lewis Hamilton’s career-best run of victories.

Such has been his rise in form that he’s been compared with legends of the sport, including three-time world champion Ayrton Senna.

An aggressive driver on track, the late Brazilian is revered as one of the all-time greats in Formula 1, making comparisons to him high praise.

“No, I haven’t read about that,” Antonelli said when asked if he’d seen articles drawing the comparison.

“And to be fair, I don’t really also like the comparison.

“I don’t feel like I should be compared to someone who has made the history of the sport.

“I haven’t done not even a single bit of what he’s been able to achieve, so I don’t feel like it’s very fair.

“Yes, he is my idol, he’s someone I get inspired by, but I just feel like it’s not really fair to get compared to him, especially at this stage of my career because it’s just the beginning.

“There’s still so much to achieve, so much to do, and so much to improve, and I feel like I’m still very far from his level.”

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Accelerating the comparisons between Antonelli and Senna was the former’s dominant performance at Monaco last weekend.

Having qualified from pole, nobody could live with the young Italian’s pace at the front as he cantered to victory at a venue once dominated by Senna.

It was at that event in 1984 that the young Brazilian announced himself in F1 as he finished second to Alain Prost in a race-shortened event.

Senna went on to claim the race six times between 1987 and 1993, his run only interrupted by a late-race crash while leading in 1988.

However, it’s his pole lap for the 1988 event that is most revered.

Missed by television cameras, Senna rocketed his McLaren around the Monte Carlo streets to qualify on pole by 1.4 seconds over teammate Alain Prost.

It has been regarded as one of the greatest laps in F1 history, with the man himself describing a surreal experience behind the wheel.

“Suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously,” he said. “I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension.”

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