Dr. Helmut Marko warns that despite Antonelli’s potential, success in F1 is never guaranteed due to unpredictable challenges.
Dr. Helmut Marko acknowledges that it is “not guaranteed” Kimi Antonelli’s clear potential will translate into success with Mercedes F1.
Toto Wolff openly courted Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton, who is heading to Ferrari, but ultimately decided to fast-track Antonelli, the 18-year-old Italian, into the Mercedes seat starting in 2025.
“It’s time for a generational change after Lewis, as nothing will be the same again,” the team principal recently stated.
“Next year, we will have a young team. Starting the season with George (Russell) and Antonelli means we are beginning a new era. The previous one was fantastic, but now it’s time to turn the page and start fresh.”
A more conventional path to F1 for Antonelli might have been a loan deal with Williams for a season or two, as Russell had done. However, Wolff insisted that he did not want the young F2 driver to be “tainted” by another team.
“The goal is to write a new success story, like Lewis’s,” Wolff added.
Marko, the mastermind behind Red Bull’s successful driver program, admits he spotted Antonelli a few years ago.
“I was impressed by his speed. But you can’t get them all!”
“Max is Max, of course, so now Antonelli has to prove himself. He needs to deliver results, and that’s not guaranteed. We’ve all seen drivers lose their motivation, get a girlfriend, or whatever, and lose their edge. It’s all happened before.”
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Antonelli Must Prove Himself in F1, Warns Marko Antonelli Must Prove Himself in F1, Warns Marko
