F1 News
Marko sees Mercedes taking big risk: 'Just like with Verstappen'
- Savannah Lenz
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his Formula 1 debut on 16th March 2025 at the Australian Grand Prix. He will be joining teammate George Russell as a part of the Mercedes lineup. Helmut Marko believes Mercedes is taking a big risk on Antonelli and that it may backfire on Russell.
In a conversation with Sport.de, Helmut Marko said, "Antonelli is a risk, but we took that risk as well with Verstappen back then; he was also young when he stepped into the car." One difference between Verstappen and Antonelli however, is the level of the team they went to. Marko notes, '' But Max wasn't in a top team, so he had less pressure."
''We saw in Monza, where I don't understand why they put him in there, he was very fast in the first three turns. In the fourth, he went into the wall. So if he uses his strength, which he has, he could be a danger for Russell".
What impression Antonelli has made
When Antonelli makes his official Grand Prix debut, he will be 18 years and seven months old. Only two drivers have been younger than him at the time of their debut; Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. When Verstappen and Stroll joined the F1 grid, they were both at smaller teams. The did not immediately move to the top like Antonelli has. Verstappen debuted with Toro Rosso, while Stroll debuted with Williams in 2017.
On his way to Formula 1, Antonelli won every award there was to win during his karting years thus making a huge impression before he switched to Formula cars in 2021. During his 2022 season, he won the German and Italian Formula 4 championships. Only a year later did he do the same in FRECA, where he took home the championship title in the Middle East and Europe.
Because of this, Mercedes, who Antonelli had been partnered with since 2019, decided to move him directly into Formula 2, skipping F3 altogether. There he finished in 6th place after winning two races.
With Lewis Hamilton out and Antonelli in at Mercedes, Russell is now the top dog within the team. Despite beating Hamilton's stats this year, Russell will have to remain on guard as his contract is expiring. The Briton will have to continuously push to prove himself against the younger talent if he wants to keep his place for 2026 and beyond.
This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij.
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