Kimi Antonelli driving for Mercedes rather than Ferrari has taken pressure off Italian says Karun Chandhok

Antonelli joined the Mercedes junior programme as an 11-year-old after some remarkable results in karting and quickly rose up the motorsport ranks to Formula 1 and replaced Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows only last year.

He currently leads the Drivers' Championship by 66 points from team-mate George Russell ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid and is on course to become the youngest world champion in F1 history at 20 years old.

His father, Marco Antonelli, has previously revealed he held discussions with Ferrari but the Scuderia did not want to sign someone so young whereas Mercedes were willing to take the risk.

On the latest episode of The F1 Show, Chandhok said: "I actually think by not making him a Ferrari junior, not putting him in front of Ferrari, not trying to make him a Ferrari young driver, and going down the Mercedes path, is actually the best thing that Marco Antonelli has done for his son. It's taken the pressure off in so many ways.

"Could you imagine if he was there as a Ferrari Italian driver? The pressure would be unbelievable. And Mercedes have done a fantastic job of nurturing him and bringing him here.

"I saw Kimi's parents and his sister afterwards by the Mercedes motorhome. They looked so delighted with the fact that obviously he'd won the home Grand Prix. I couldn't help but think they've managed to take away some pressure by not having him as a Ferrari driver."

Last week, Antonelli played down suggestions that he could drive for Ferrari in the future as he claimed he could spend his entire career with Mercedes.

He said "as much as Ferrari is massive, incredible brand, I am very happy where I am" but Chandhok hopes he does drive in red one day.

"For the sake of the sport and the sake of Ferrari, I hope, a bit like Lewis, in 10, 15 years' time when Kimi's achieved a whole lot of things, maybe he will become a Ferrari driver. It'll be great for Ferrari to have him one day," he said.

Antonelli has stunned most of the F1 paddock this year with his speed and performances so far, but his most recent in Monza where he won from 19th on the grid made headlines around the world.

Sky Sports F1 's David Croft says Antonelli is a "generational talent" but is still "keeping his feet on the ground".

"At the start of the weekend he was getting pranked in the paddock, getting cream pies flung at him from his team as they got him back with a birthday surprise. I'm not sure the majority of F1 drivers on the grid would have stood for that," said Croft.

"Kimi absolutely revelled in it and there is a driver who is so at ease and so comfortable in the team that he's in. Long may that continue on track and off it as well. He is a total breath of fresh air for Formula 1."

Chandhok added: "He's been prepared from a much younger age as a professional, all-rounded driver - how to work with a team, how to work with a bigger structure.

"These kids now who are being signed to driver programmes from the ages of 10, 11, 12 in junior karting, they're being moulded from a younger age.

"You compare and contrast to the generation above, a Fernando Alonso or a Michael Schumacher, they only signed to professional contracts by the time they were already in F3.

"So I think, in some ways, it's not a surprise, I guess, that he is arriving as a more finished package because he's had 10 years of being as part of a professional structure, which the generation above wasn't."

Thursday September 10 2pm: Drivers' Press Conference 5pm: Paddock Uncut

Friday September 11 8.50am: F3 Practice 10am: F2 Practice 12pm: Spanish Grand Prix Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm) 12.55pm: F2 Qualifying 2.40pm: Team Bosses' Press Conference 3.45pm: Spanish Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 4pm) 5.20pm: F3 Qualifying 6.20pm: The F1 Show

Saturday September 12 10am: F3 Sprint 11am: Spanish Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am) 1.10pm: F2 Sprint 2.15pm: Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying build-up 3pm: SPANISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING* 4.55pm: F3 Feature Race 1 6pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday September 13 8.40am: F3 Feature Race 2 10.20am: F2 Feature Race 12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up 2pm: THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX 4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction 5pm: Ted's Notebook

Formula 1 heads to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit, with every session live from this Friday on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime