Eddie Jordan has made a devastating statement regarding the widely praised and celebrated Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Michael Schumacher's discoverer and former mentor of Max Verstappen didn't mince words!
But he cruelly dismissed the rookie, and the sad thing is that it wasn't even unfounded... We've been puzzled by the Antonelli hype for some time now, and we feel that comparing him to Verstappen, for example, is a very strong exaggeration. After all, as soon as Verstappen was put in an F1 car, he immediately performed, he was immediately fast, while Antonelli just crashed:
"He should prove himself by going up the ladder. Like Max did at Toro Rosso, like George Russell did at Williams. Kimi Antonelli should try Williams first, Toto Wolff could do that. I remember what Bernie Ecclestone said in situations like this, it still rings in my ears: 'Earn it.' There's nothing else to be said here, just that. I don't feel that Antonelli has earned anything at all. He lacks quality, he lacks results, I can't trust him as a driver...
I said before his Mercedes test that I think the pressure will be too much on him. This is Mercedes after all, and he is a rookie who has not shown anything special so far. And that was evident on his debut, in FP1 in Monza, right from the first laps. He thoroughly approved that car… I still think he may be good enough for Formula 1, but he is certainly not good enough for Mercedes. I don't care how fast he is, he should prove himself first! That's what I think,” Jordan expressed his opinion without mincing words.
