Helmut Marko warns George Russell over Kimi Antonelli ‘danger’ at Mercedes
Helmut Marko warned George Russell of the upcoming challenge against prodigy Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes in the 2025 season.
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George Russell, Helmut Marko and Kimi Antonelli (images via IMAGO)
Mercedes signed Kimi Antonelli to partner up with George Russell in the 2025 season. Antonelli has already been labeled as potentially the ‘next Max Verstappen‘ due to his flashy performances in the junior categories. As a result, Helmut Marko warned Russell of the impending danger against the Italian in the coming season.
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are rumored to be in a ‘shootout’ in the 2025 season to ultimately make way for Max Verstappen in the 2026 season. Hence, both drivers will need to portray the best possible results to continue with the team. Antonelli also tested with Brackley’s chassis mid-way through the 2024 season and showcased great lap times despite crashing on his first outing.
Helmut Marko recalled that the world witnessed Antonelli’s greatness during his testing session with Mercedes in Monza. Marko pointed out that the 18-year-old was ‘very fast’ during the initial three laps but surprisingly went into the barriers on his fourth lap. The 81-year-old believed that if the Italian utilized his skills well, he could pose a serious threat to Russell.
We saw it [Antonelli’s talent] at Monza, although I don’t understand why they put him in the car on that circuit. He was very fast on his first three laps, but on the fourth lap, he went into the barriers. I think if he uses his skills well, which he has, he can be a danger to Russell.
Helmut Marko told sport.de
Helmut Marko equates ‘risk factor’ of acquiring Kimi Antonelli to Max Verstappen
Red Bull took the risk to acquire Max Verstappen in 2015 similarly to Kimi Antonelli to Mercedes in 2025. However, Verstappen debuted with the junior team Toro Rosso (currently RB) and didn’t have such a big task as Antonelli’s. Marko reckoned that Milton Keynes took the same risk in the past which provided them with great returns.
Antonelli is a risk, but we also took that risk with Verstappen in the past. Max was very young when he got into that car. But in his case, he wasn’t in a top team so he had less pressure.
Helmut Marko added
Mercedes’ mediocre pace in the 2024 season must find improvement this time around in order to compete for either of the championships. The team will work under Hamilton’s absence for the first time in 12 years. Hence, it is safe to assume that Brackley will face a massive challenge in development over the 2025 season, especially with a rookie in the team.
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Aditya Pandya
(1439 Articles Published)