Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expressed his admiration for Kimi Antonelli's performance in the 2026 Formula 1 season. According to the Austrian, the young Mercedes driver has taken a huge step forward and has already demonstrated superiority over his teammate George Russell.
Antonelli has become one of the leading figures in the championship after recording a series of strong results and gaining a serious lead in the general standings. The Italian is more than 100 points ahead of Russell and could get even closer to his first world title as early as the weekend of the US Grand Prix in Austin.
In an interview with the Austrian publication „OE24“ Marco highlighted not only the young driver's speed, but also the change in his approach to racing. According to him, Antonelli now combines his talent with greater maturity, consistency and the ability to get the most out of different situations on the track.
“It's wonderful to watch how this young boy makes the car fly, as well as the joy with which he celebrates his successes. He is incredibly fast, and when victory is out of reach, he fights for the best possible ranking. Last season he lacked consistency and made mistakes, but this year he completely overshadowed Russell. He simply outdid him“, commented Marco.