In Monte Carlo, F1 has discovered it has a new leader, capable of making the crowds fall in love with him and softening the blow of defeat for champions of the caliber of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who have nothing left to prove in terms of titles and career.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with his fresh-faced look and teenage simplicity (he is only 19 years old), is the present and future of this incredible circus, which has become a benchmark for technological innovation as much as for glamour and the fashion business.

Race after race, the Mercedes driver is growing at supersonic speed. Winning in that manner with such a crazy pace on a pure driver’s track like Monte Carlo means inviting comparisons with the greatest in Formula 1, from Senna to Schumacher, and even Lewis Hamilton, who is still out there fighting like a lion against the youngsters, dreaming of his eighth world title.

The new phenomenon – Five consecutive successes for a nineteen-year-old who has already racked up a series of records and now leads the championship with 66 points over Lewis Hamilton, with a concrete possibility of increasing the lead race after race. Because while it is true that Mercedes has a Power Unit that is shockingly superior to the others, they also have a complex aerodynamic chassis that is terrifying, as demonstrated right in the Principality when Antonelli flew ahead without obstacles while the others struggled with tire degradation. True, we are only at the sixth of 22 races, but beating Mercedes already seems like an impossible feat.

If the start could have been a weak point until now, Monte Carlo showed a new side of the young Kimi, who was capable of maintaining his calm and concentration during the second start, where he had everything to lose. Alongside him was Lewis Hamilton, a formidable dog of war who is no joke, yet failed to make a move.

Kimi drove a perfect race, crowned by the podium celebration with the tricolor flag over his shoulders and Toto Wolff by his side to collect the Constructor’s trophy—the man who strongly wanted Kimi despite the heavy criticism regarding his young age. Everything was so beautiful it seemed unreal, and everything was so concrete it will go down in history.

A Sunday to be gulped down in one breath: rivers of champagne, the dive into the harbor, and the evening gala in tuxedos with Prince Albert.

And now it’s time to turn the page. Barcelona calls on Kimi to repeat his performance on a track that is more traditional, and therefore representative. It has a long straight and a mix of high, medium, and low-speed corners, so after two Sprint weekends and Monaco, it should give a better read on Mercedes performance. It will be the first weekend where the team can understand more clearly the recent updates and where they sit relative to the rest of the field.