Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko would gladly take Mercedes F1 prodigy in their team, claims Joe Saward

Incoming Mercedes-AMG driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli's single Free Practice lap at Monza left an impression on Red Bull Racing chief Helmut Marko. The former Austrian racer would gladly take in the Italian F1 prodigy in the Milton-Keyes-based team, senior journalist Joe Saward has claimed.

Mercedes announced Kimi Antonelli as the replacement for the seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. He was also scheduled to run the FP1 session in place of the British racer. Although the 18-year-old driver began his debut run as planned, he lost the rear of the W15 on his first timed lap and crashed into the barrier at Parabolica, thereby ending his session abruptly.

Despite the crash, Helmut Marko was impressed by the pace showcased by Antonelli around the iconic 'Temple of Speed.' For reference, Marko is credited for recruiting talented drivers such as Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and Carlos Sainz. Hence, impressing the Austrian taskmaster is considered quite a challenge in the F1 world.

Renowned F1 journalist Joe Saward claims that the Red Bull chief would be happy to get the young Mercedes driver in his squad. He wrote about the same in his Green Notebook blog.

Apart from the Austrian squad, Fred Vasseur of Ferrari and James Vowles of Williams also praised Kimi Antonelli's performance during his FP1 outing at Monza.

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"If they have the talent, they should be put in the car" - Red Bull Racing chief claims Verstappen's launch likely inspired Mercedes-AMG to sign Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to drive for Mercedes-AMG in the 2025 Formula 1 season. On the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Red Bull Racing chief Helmut Marko claimed that Max Verstappen's launch in motorsports was likely the deciding factor for the German team to sign Antonelli.

At 18 years old, Antonelli is about the same age as the Dutchman was when he made his debut in F1 in 2016. Witnessing how an early start helped the latter develop as a driver, Mercedes-AMG has decided to offer a seat to Antonelli, who is referred to as the next generational talent.

"If someone is coming up, it doesn’t matter how old they are. If they have the talent, they should be put in the car," Marko commented (8:48 onwards).

Here's a look at the podcast from YouTube:

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke about the team's decision to promote Antonelli with F1.com.

“I made up my mind five minutes after Lewis Hamilton told me that he’s going to Ferrari. Instinctively that is the line-up with these two (George Russell and Antonelli) that I always wanted, bearing in mind the fast-tracking that we did with Kimi and everything related there too, but that was immediately what I wanted to do,” he said.

While Helmut Marko previously claimed that the team was not interested in Antonelli, his recent performance at Monza has seemingly left the Red Bull Racing chief impressed.