Villeneuve says Verstappen’s precision sets him apart from Antonelli

Max Verstappen beat Kimi Antonelli by 2.307 seconds after 55 laps in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang. Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, said Verstappen drives precisely at the limit and rarely makes mistakes in this form, while championship leader Antonelli continues to make errors, in Villeneuve’s view. Villeneuve said the contrast could weigh in the title fight, but came late in the season.

At the start, Antonelli and George Russell passed Verstappen, but the Red Bull driver reclaimed the lead on a safety-car restart by sweeping around the outside of Antonelli into Turn 1. On Lap 24, Antonelli ran wide at the final corner, struck the pit-entry bollard and lost time.

After the race, Antonelli said Verstappen had positioned the car better and had a better feel for the grip through the first two corners on slicks. Being overtaken annoyed him, he said, but he regarded the moment as a lesson he could use in future.

In a separate warning, Villeneuve said Antonelli could suffer a non-finish like Russell in Sepang, putting some of the Italian’s championship advantage at risk. He also predicted that one of the small mistakes he believes Antonelli keeps making would eventually catch him out. Russell’s Mercedes stopped after 49 laps, and RacingNews365 attributed his retirement to a power-unit issue.

After Sepang, Antonelli led the championship on 320 points, while Verstappen was sixth on 188; seven races remained.