Kimi Raikkonen admits that he is impressed by the Kimi currently leading the world championship.

Speaking last year, Antonelli admitted that he has never met the driver with whom he shares a name, but that could well change this year.

2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, the last man to win the world championship in a Ferrari, has lavished praise on his namesake, confident that he can handle the pressure, unlike, according to the controversial Finn, Oscar Piastri last season.

"Antonelli won't lose focus; he's showing maturity," Raikkonen tells Quotidiano Nazionale. "He'll have to avoid imitating Piastri in 2025," he adds. "At one point, the Australian McLaren driver seemed to have the title in his pocket, but he couldn't handle the pressure. The Italian won't fall into the same trap.

"He believes in it," says the veteran of 353 grands prix. "You can see it in the way he approaches the races, in the spirit he puts into it.

"Obviously, in Formula 1, you don't win four consecutive Grands Prix unless you have special talent," says Raikkonen, who made his debut with Sauber, joining McLaren just a year later. "Antonelli's numbers are a feat. Having the right car is crucial, but it's always been that way, throughout history.

"Naturally, I follow Antonelli's exploits with great sympathy," he admits. "I'm amused that he shares my name, even though I think it's just a coincidence. He's certainly very talented."

However, asked who he considers the best driver on the current grid, the Finn is in no doubt.

"Verstappen," he says. "I saw him arrive in F1 during my second stint at Ferrari. Max is a phenomenon. He won his first race in Spain right in front of me, ten years ago. That's when I realised a star was born."

Asked about his old team, which, almost twenty years later, has yet to claim the title again, he says: "When I left the Scuderia at the end of 2018, I hoped the team would quickly find a successor to me in the championship's roll of honour. It hasn't happened yet, but from afar I see encouraging signs."