From the get go, Antonelli has showed a level of maturity behind the wheel that very few rookies since Michael Schumacher haas exhibited.

He qualified in P16 during his first grand prix in Australia and put up one his best displays so far, finishing the race in P4 after clawing his way up the pack. He’s finished P6 in China and Japan.

Successful F1 drivers are not only fast around the track but also have a good understanding of the mechanics of the car they drive and are able to communicate what they are experiencing with the team in order for improvements or changes to be made.

A typical example of this is Liam Lawson and Red Bull. Despite being a good driver, Lawson was unable to communicate what he felt in the car and thus could not improve his positions.

Yuki Tsunoda was then put in his seat and immediately made changes to the car’s aerodynamics for better control.

Antonelli has been clinical in his comms with his race engineers since starting and has no doubt contributed to his success. So much so that they are now the biggest threat to Red Bull and Ferrari who are struggling to put a decent car together this season. McLaren, meanwhile, race in a league of their own.

The 18-year-old set a lap record around Suzuka Circuit last week, becoming the fastest around the track after beating Max Verstappen’s lap record set in qualifying.

He’s no doubt the hottest rookie in the paddock and has given Mercedes boss Toto Wolff something to smile about since they lost Sir Hamilton. He’s accumulated 30 points after three races in his first season and is 5th on the driver standings while Mercedes are second on Constructor standings, but a bit far away from McLaren.

Even former Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo expressed his disappointment that the young Italian was not at Ferrari, styling him a “ first-rate driver”.

"Antonelli is a first-rate driver, first of all because he's in his first year of F1 and he doesn't make mistakes, but he's fast and I see him growing. And then he's from Bologna, like myself," he said.

"I'm just sorry to see him in Mercedes. Would I have taken him? At 18 maybe not, but I would have put him at Sauber to do two years there. Toto was good at finding him and raising him, like McLaren did with Lewis,” Montezemolo told SkyF1.