Max Verstappen became the youngest driver in Formula 1 history when he joined Toro Rosso in 2015. But even at 17, he immediately proved he was ready for the highest level.
Verstappen scored points at just his second Grand Prix in Malaysia with an outstanding seventh-place finish. That was one of 10 returns, including a pair of P4s.
Within the first five rounds of 2016, Red Bull decided to fast-track him to the top of the team. Daniil Kvyat had been involved in a couple of incidents, but the driver swap mostly reflected Verstappen’s megastar potential.
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More than 25 drivers have made their debuts since then, including Lando Norris, George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. But none are widely regarded as a Verstappen-calibre talent.
Ralf Schumacher says Kimi Antonelli isn’t a Max Verstappen-level talent
F1 had one of its largest rookie classes ever this year, with five brand-new drivers making the step up. Within the quintet, Kimi Antonelli was the subject of the most hype.
That was perhaps inevitable given that he was replacing Lewis Hamilton, the most successful F1 driver ever, at Mercedes. But Antonelli was also billed as ‘the next Max Verstappen’, the standout talent of a new generation.
There have been moments this year where that tag has appeared justified. Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in any F1 format at the Miami GP Sprint, and also scored a fine podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
But he’s suffered a somewhat alarming loss of form since, dramatically taking Verstappen out at the start of the Austrian GP and failing to crack the top 15 in any of the four competitive sessions at Spa. Speaking to Bild, Ralf Schumacher suggested that the 18-year-old needed ‘time’, but may have been talked up too much.
“I do believe Kimi is a strong racing driver, but he simply needs time,” he said. “He’s come through the junior series very quickly and therefore has relatively little experience. When everything’s right, he’s fast, but the car was obviously too complex. I wouldn’t call him the next Max Verstappen.”
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Many have called Isack Hadjar the rookie of the year in recognition of his stellar performances at Racing Bulls. Hadjar, runner-up in F2 last year, has only made one fewer Q3 appearance than Antonelli even though he’s driving a midfield car.
Hadjar has been compared to Verstappen by Racing Bulls insiders. Some still remember handing Verstappen his debut at Faenza a year ago.
Fernando Alonso has also talked up Gabriel Bortoleto, who’s part of his management stable. Bortoleto has announced himself with a string of eye-catching results, including a P6 in Hungary last time out.
As Schumacher mentioned, Antonelli climbed the junior ladder fairly rapidly. He was still in karting as recently as 2021, and he also skipped Formula 3 before a mixed campaign in F2.
There’s a feeling that Antonelli would have benefited from a year at Williams, following a similar path to current teammate George Russell. Mercedes might have felt their hand was forced by Hamilton’s surprise departure.