Helmut Marko pulls back the curtain on a chat with Kimi Antonelli pre-Hungarian GP

Helmut Marko opened up about his meeting with Kimi Antonelli ahead of the Hungarian GP. Speaking about his meeting with the Mercedes driver, the Red Bull advisor stated that Antonelli shared how he had no confidence in the Silver Arrows.

Antonelli joined Mercedes this season and replaced Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. He joined George Russell for his rookie season under full-time obligation. Even though the Italian driver started on a good note, as the season progressed, he seemed to struggle with performance.

In recent times, Antonelli had back-to-back disastrous races. In Austria and Great Britain, he had DNFs. In Belgium, Antonelli finished his race in P16. As a result, his confidence took a huge toll midway through the season.

As the race in Spa-Francorchamps was over, Antonelli reportedly met Marko at the hotel in Belgium. Sharing his meeting with the young Mercedes driver, Marko said, via PlanetF1:

“I don’t want to make any outside comments on how things work for any other team. Antonelli is certainly very fast, but also a very young driver."

"Strangely enough, we spoke briefly in the hotel at Spa, and he said that he has no confidence in the car. As soon as he pushes, he no longer has control," he further added.

Kimi Antonelli is in P7 in the drivers' standings with 63 points and one podium to his name. Compared to him, his teammate, George Russell, is in P4 with 157 points after 13 races and three Sprints.

Oscar Piastri of McLaren is leading the championship with 266 points, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, who has 250 points in his tally. Reigning champion Max Verstappen is in P3 with 185 points.

Kimi Antonelli let his feelings be known ahead of Hungarian GP: "Ready to give my best"

Kimi Antonelli of Italy drives the F1 race car No. 12. Source: Getty

Kimi Antonelli shared his thoughts ahead of the Hungarian GP this weekend. After three disastrous races, Antonelli stated that he wanted to wrap up the first half of the season on a high note:

“I’ve definitely been also trying to prepare for the weekend in the best way possible, and now I feel happy. I’m really happy to be here and I’m ready to give my best before heading to the summer break," Antonelli said, via F1.com.

Kimi Antonelli managed P7 in FP1 of the Hungarian GP and was 0.828 seconds slower than P1 Lando Norris. In FP2, Antonelli managed P10 and was 0.896 seconds slower than Norris again. George Russell, his Mercedes teammate, managed P8 in FP1 and P7 in FP2.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

Know More

Edited by Hitesh Nigam