Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko expects great performances from new Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. According to the Austrian, the young prodigy could cause harm to George Russell, who has become leader of the team.
“We saw Antonelli’s talent at Monza, although I don’t understand why they put him in the car at this circuit” Marko said. “He was very fast in his first three laps, but in the fourth lap he went into the barriers. I think if he uses his abilities well, which he does, he can be a danger for Russell. “
Marko welcomes Mercedes’ gamble to hire Antonelli directly: “Antonelli is a risk, but we also took that risk with Verstappen in the past. Max was very young when he got into this car. But in his case he was not in a top team and he had less pressure.”
Nico Rosberg, the 2916 world champion, agrees with Marko on the risks Russell is taking against his teammate: “George Russell is not at all safe because Toto still wants Max and he will try again for 2026 because ‘giving up’ is not in Toto’s vocabulary.”
“If Max becomes available – and I think that’s a possibility – then there will be a fight between George and Kimi next year. He’s the one who should be in the lead internally because Kimi is 18, who “He’s completely new and he’s in a situation of total pressure. It’s not an easy situation for George.”
