Antonelli faces debut: Is he the biggest talent since Verstappen?
General
- Ludo van Denderen
For Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the countdown has begun. In just over a month he will be at the start of his first Grand Prix, the starting point of what should be a glorious career in Formula 1. Connoisseurs see in the 18-year-old Italian the natural successor to Max Verstappen. Rightly or wrongly?
Of course, Gabriel Bortoleto's past Formula 2 season was a masterpiece. In his debut year in the feeder series to F1, he clinched the title, as he did a season earlier, as a rookie as well, in F3. No one will dispute that the Brazilian has more than earned his spot at Sauber for 2025.
Of the five rookies competing in F1 this season, Andrea Kimi Antonelli - looking purely at results - was one of the least convincing (apart from Bearman, who did miss two weekends, ed.) last year. 'Only' sixth finished the Italian, well behind Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar (now Racing Bulls). Still, it is mainly about Antonelli that everyone in and around the F1 paddock is curious.
PREMA woes
After all, results do not always say it all. True, Antonelli was a part of top team PREMA Racing last year in his first F2 season - having skipped F3 (!) - but the Italian team's car was anything but top notch. For some reason, they never got the balance right, which made for a season with more setbacks than wins.
Yet those who speak to insiders hear that people are very impressed by Antonelli's sheer talent - just as was the case with Verstappen in the past. For instance, reference is made to a test in an F3 car by Antonelli, in which he impressed immensely. Engineers who saw the Italian drive said they had not seen anything like that in an F3 car since Max Verstappen.
Antonelli, like Verstappen, needs time
That Antonelli will eventually become a top driver in F1, no one doubts that - Mercedes certainly does not. It's only that the youngster needs time, just as Verstappen once did. Verstappen made mistakes in his first seasons in the sport, and his driving sometimes irritated the competition.
It could just as easily be the case with Antonelli too. As in Verstappen's case, he should be allowed to make mistakes, without the fans and media judging him (too) harshly. Because in time - so the consensus is - Antonelli is going to shine in Formula 1.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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