The former Haas team principal’s answer to a hypothetical draft was one word: “Kimi.” Verstappen came second on his list.
The reasoning was what made the pick land. “You said four years. Because if I have to keep him four years, I think he will be better than him,” Steiner said on the podcast, in comments reported by F1 Oversteer.
That answer would have looked provocative before this season. It looks less so now. Antonelli leads the 2026 drivers’ championship on 292 points, 81 clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell, with eight race wins including his most recent victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. Planet F1’s title permutations put Singapore as his earliest mathematical shot at the crown.
Mercedes have their Verstappen already
The four-year draft sits inside a broader argument Steiner has been making all summer. In August, he told Motorsport Week that Antonelli’s emergence had taken the urgency out of any Mercedes move for Verstappen.
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“At Mercedes, I think they’ve now found the next Max Verstappen. So, maybe they don’t need the real Max Verstappen at the moment,” Steiner said.
Two days before the draft comments circulated, Steiner told Speedweek the title race was “a done deal.” He praised Antonelli’s judgment, “He takes risks, but not stupid ones”, and tempered it with a warning about the run of fortune the Italian is riding.
“He’s got all the luck in the world right now. Everything’s just falling into his lap,” Steiner told the site.
Ratings put Antonelli above Verstappen
The four-year framing is doing more work than the headline suggests. Verstappen still owns the recent record book, with four straight drivers’ titles between 2021 and 2024, and remains a threat every qualifying session, Sky Sports’ 2026 mid-season ratings noted his 8-3 qualifying edge over teammate Isack Hadjar and described him as the driver many still consider the best on the grid.
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But Antonelli is the only driver Sky rated above him. The Italian came out on 9/10, the highest score in the field, against Verstappen’s 8.5, a gap that reflects a race-winning season the Dutchman has yet to string together under the 2026 rules cycle.
Next up is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, with the Singapore Grand Prix (October 9-11) Antonelli’s earliest mathematical shot at wrapping up the title.
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