Kimi Antonelli has become Formula 1’s youngest-ever world champion and that has naturally sparked huge praise for the young Italian.

At just 20 years old, Kimi Antonelli clinched the F1 world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix, achieving the feat in just his second year in the category.

Bernie Ecclestone’s Kimi Antonelli prediction is Toto Wolff’s biggest fear

In the aftermath of Antonelli’s championship victory, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone made a bold prediction involving both Antonelli and Max Verstappen.

Speaking to RacingNews365, Ecclestone said: “I think he will turn into another Max.

“He’s got all that Max has got; he wants to win, and he will win no matter what. He’s the same as Max in that he gets into the car with only one thought in his mind: winning the race.

“We haven’t seen the best of him yet by a long way. I think we’ll be surprised at how good he’s going to be. You will see, he’s going to turn into another Max in two to three years. He needs to have a few rough times to polish him up a little bit, and then watch out.”

While that is huge praise for Antonelli to be compared to a four-time world champion, it is the opposite of what Toto Wolff has been pleading throughout the season.

Wolff wanted to stop Antonelli comparisons to Senna. Back in June, the Mercedes chief said: “I always urge caution. I just told my Italian Sky colleagues to keep their feet on the ground. I’ve already seen the titles again, that it was a lap like Senna’s on Saturday.”

A month later, Wolff said: “Right now, he is exceeding our most rosy expectations, but he must not feel satisfied.  Everyone is exalting him. I always ask to keep the balance.”

Kimi Antonelli is already proving he remains grounded and humble

Wolff is right to keep Antonelli’s feet on the ground. He is a generational talent, and a driver who clearly has the potential to win multiple championships.

While he has one title to his name already, the rest is still just that: potential.

So far, Mercedes and Wolff have done a great job managing Antonelli and the expectations around their driver.

Plus, Antonelli himself is showing great signs that he is still extremely hungry yet humble when looking forward.

Antonelli’s decision to stick with the No.12 next season and turn down the No.1 is a great example. When explaining his decision, he added: “It’s a way for me to stay grounded, to stay humble.”

The Senna and Verstappen comparisons have come flooding in, but it seems Antonelli is taking no notice.