Formula 1 Dutch GP
Kimi Antonelli responds to Helmut Marko "hype" comments amid Mercedes "pressure"
After Helmut Marko suggested Mercedes had exposed Andrea Kimi Antonelli to top-team pressure, the 19-year-old admitted the step up to the Brackley outfit was demanding
Lydia Mee Stuart Codling
Edited: Aug 28, 2025, 2:54 PM
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Kym Illman (Getty Images)
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has responded to Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko's recent comments about the pressure on the Italian driver due to driving for a top team.
Antonelli signed with Mercedes for his rookie season in 2025, replacing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton after his move to Ferrari. Hamilton's bombshell announcement that he was parting ways with the Brackley outfit, where he won six of his seven titles, brought a lot of attention to whom Mercedes would bring in to replace him.
While Antonelli is not at the team to fill Hamilton's shoes, the hype around his arrival was much higher than that around some of the other rookies on the grid. Marko claimed during an interview with F1 Insider that signing with one of the top teams in the championship could have 'immediately exposed Antonelli to the pressure', and argued that this was a benefit of Red Bull having the junior team, Racing Bulls.
"The big difference is that when we bring juniors into Formula 1, they first drive at Racing Bulls, where they are not exposed to such immense pressure or the pressure of Formula 1 in general," Marko explained. "And we also do not make such a hype about a young driver before he sits in Formula 1."
He added: "How that works with another team, I will make absolutely no comments on from the outside. Antonelli is certainly a very fast, but also very young driver. And now, strangely, in the hotel in Spa, we spoke briefly in the evening, and he said he has no confidence in the car, and as soon as he pushes, then he no longer has control.
"So, that is more of a mental thing, and apparently the car is also similar to ours, very critical in the operating window. And when it works once, then it is considerably more sensitive. And of course, a routine driver like Russell finds that much easier.
"But you simply have to give him time now so that he finds himself again."
Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
The Mercedes driver was asked about Marko's comments during a media session ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
"Of course, starting straight away in a top team is not always easy, because obviously, racing for Mercedes is a massive privilege, but at the same time you need to deliver, you need to deliver the job," the 19-year-old explained.
"So sometimes you can feel under a lot of pressure, but I'm really happy to have started in Mercedes. Obviously, I've had some rough times, but the team has always been very supportive.
"I'm aware I haven't done the best of jobs, especially at some points during the season, but this year is mainly to learn. Of course, the goal is always to go on track and win, but at the same time it's important to get ready for next year.
"But definitely, if I would race in a junior team, there would be quite a bit less pressure, but as I said before, I'm really happy to have started in Mercedes, because I can learn massively."
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