‘A different kid’: from karting to F1 champion-elect, Antonelli’s ability has always stood out

With first drivers’ title all but secure, a friendlier champion would be hard to find, but Italian’s eight wins this season speak to his focus Even as Kimi Antonelli may be world champion-elect, it is sometimes hard to equate the young man who has driven with such exceptional skill and no little verve to touching distance of an historic first Formula One title with the smiling, wide-eyed kid with tousled hair who still almost looks out of place in the F1 paddock.

Yet what has become clear in this extraordinary season is that Antonelli’s talent and his personable, endearing character are inextricably entwined. Whether the Italian seals his place as F1’s youngest world champion, at 20 years old, at…