New Verstappen?

Marko grins: “Antonelli? You can’t have them all”

Helmut Marko is looking forward to the performance of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.(Bild: AFP/APA/Martin KEEP)

Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has spoken about his first impressions of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes. The "child prodigy" has certainly impressed him, but he still has to prove whether he has what it takes to be the new Max Verstappen. Why didn't Red Bull make a move on the young Italian? "You can't have them all," said the Austrian with a grin on his face. 

Antonelli's first Formula 1 outing in the Mercedes cockpit lasted just ten minutes. Then the Italian ended up in the wall during his training run. Until then, however, he had certainly shown flashes of his talent, as Marko explained in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com: "His speed was quite impressive." 

It is now certain that the 18-year-old will take the seat next to George Russell in the Mercedes cockpit next season. Expectations are high and there is already talk of "Max Verstappen in a Mercedes". "Max is Max. He first has to prove whether he can reach this level," says Marko.

Marko has also been watching him
The Austrian also confirms that Red Bull has been watching the talent himself. "Of course he was also on my radar. But you can't have them all," says Marko with a grin on his face. Moreover, talent alone is no guarantee of a successful career. "There's one driver who then loses motivation, a girlfriend comes along or he loses his grip. It's all happened before," says the 81-year-old from experience.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli(Bild: AFP/APA/Andrej ISAKOVIC)

For Antonelli, it is now all about scoring points and gaining initial experience. "You have to give the youngsters a chance to prove themselves in a GP car after they have climbed up the junior ladder," says Marko, supporting Mercedes' decision and is already excited to see what we will see of the 18-year-old in the coming season.