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\u2019s megastar potential.<\/p>\n
CATEGORYVOL.Points49Points finishes10Best result4thDNFs4Q3 appearances10Best qualifying6thMax Verstappen\u2019s rookie F1 season in numbers<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ralf Schumacher says Kimi Antonelli isn\u2019t a Max Verstappen-level talent<\/p>\n
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<\/a> was the subject of the most hype.<\/p>\n 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 \u2018the next Max Verstappen\u2019<\/a>, the standout talent of a new generation.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But he\u2019s 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<\/a>, Ralf Schumacher suggested that the 18-year-old needed \u2018time\u2019, but may have been talked up too much.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe Kimi is a strong racing driver, but he simply needs time,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s come through the junior series very quickly and therefore has relatively little experience. When everything\u2019s right, he\u2019s fast, but the car was obviously too complex. I wouldn\u2019t call him the next Max Verstappen.\u201d<\/p>\n Was this the right team for Kimi Antonelli in 2025?<\/p>\n Many have called Isack Hadjar the rookie of the year<\/a> 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\u2019s driving a midfield car.<\/p>\n Hadjar has been compared to Verstappen by Racing Bulls<\/a> insiders. Some still remember handing Verstappen his debut at Faenza a year ago.<\/p>\n![\"Kimi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227531810-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jakub Porzycki\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n