Marko opens up about conversation with struggling Antonelli

19:53, 01 Aug

Updated: 22:32, 01 Aug

byNorberto Mujica

Andrea Kimi Antonelli experienced a rather difficult end to the first half of the F1 season. Helmut Marko revealed that he spoke with the Mercedes rookie about the struggles he's been facing this year.

In an interview with F1 Insider, Marko shared that the meeting took place in Spa-Francorchamps, where the two ran into each other at a hotel and had a longer conversation.

“I don’t want to make any external comments about how things work within another team,” said Marko. Speaking about Antonelli, however, the 81-year-old Red Bull advisor added: “Antonelli is definitely very fast, but he’s still a very young driver.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished FP2 in Hungary in P10

Antonelli spills the beans to Marko in Belgium

“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."

Marko assesses the young Italian's woes as a mental issue more than anything, making a 'Mercedes like Red Bull Racing' comparison.

“It’s more of a mental thing, and it seems that [with] his car, like ours, it’s very critical to be in the working window. When it does work, it’s much more potent, and of course a driver like Russell does it much more easily."

The Austrian, of course, did not forget the German team. “Mercedes, thank goodness, don’t have the luxury of a second team,” he concluded.