William Byron referred to F1’s Kimi Antonelli’s success as an example of what NASCAR gets wrong with young drivers. The Hendrick Motorsports driver said that NASCAR teams did not always place young drivers in strong situations, and the system works more like an NFL draft.

Antonelli has become one of the most talked-about young names in F1 after the Italian teenager moved through junior categories and got a seat with a top-level setup early in his career. Byron, who started his NASCAR career with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, used that contrast to explain the sport’s drawbacks in a recent interview with The Athletic.

“I feel like it’s very marketing-driven and very economics-driven. … I feel like watching Kimi Antonelli in F1, he is being put into a really good position, good team, surrounding himself with a lot of good people. That is not always the case when you get into Cup racing,” William Byron said.

“It’s a little bit more like the draft in the NFL. You get kind of placed with a team or a driver that was already not succeeding, not working out, and you’re just tasked with, ‘Hey, you’re the new guy, you’re fast, so figure it out,’ and you have no people skills.”

Byron’s comments came after a question that referenced Brad Keselowski, who shared that the sport needed more structure before drivers advance to the Cup level.

Meanwhile, as per Byron’s perspective, success depends a lot on working well with people and building strong relationships off the track. He also pointed out that he, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin have great teams, but it took time to find the right group of people.

“I’m just kind of reaching the peak of my career” – William Byron on his future achievements

During the same interview, William Byron spoke about his long-term goals and growth as a driver. The 28-year-old believed that his best years may still be ahead. He said that the first seven or eight years of his career taught him many lessons.

“I don’t really look at the accomplishments, but I look at the fact that there’s still a lot of growth that can happen with me. I’m 28 years old, and hopefully I’m just kind of reaching the peak of my career,” William Byron said.

Byron secured his first top-5 of the season last weekend at Las Vegas. The 2025 NASCAR regular season champion has appeared three times in the Championship 4, and the driver believes that the next 10 years will decide how people judge his career. He is now looking to turn that learning into more wins and championships.