Ecclestone and Dr. Marko Name the Next World Champion

Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Red Bull's long-time advisor Dr. Helmut Marko are confident they know who will be crowned world champion by the end of the season.

In a conversation with the Swiss publication "Blick," both Ecclestone and Marko shared the same prediction for this year's title fight, clearly stating their expected victor: "Antonelli will be world champion; Verstappen remains the strongest driver on the grid."

So far, the young Italian has been the most impressive driver of the season, securing six victories and building a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton at the top of the drivers' standings. This advantage was achieved despite his retirement in Spain and a point-less race at Silverstone, where a front wheel guard issue compromised his performance.

Antonelli can therefore enter the second half of the season with the comfort of essentially having a two-race buffer. Even if he were to falter in those events, he would still maintain his lead in the standings. His advantage is further bolstered by the struggles of his teammate, George Russell, whose campaign has also been marred by a series of setbacks and technical problems.

In contrast, Verstappen is enduring a frustrating season with far more lows than highs. The Dutchman has been forced to retire from three races so far – first in China due to a cooling system issue, then in Monaco after a power unit failure on the very first lap despite starting from the front row, and most recently at Silverstone, where a problem with the active rear wing mechanism sent him off track – the same issue that plagued him during qualifying in Austria.

Despite a challenging season, Verstappen has still delivered several strong performances, securing a podium finish in Canada, taking second place in Austria, another podium in Belgium, and clinching another second-place spot in Hungary.

Speaking to "Krone Zeitung," Marko has already downplayed Verstappen's chances of re-entering the title fight, asserting that Red Bull currently lacks the consistency needed to compete at the front. The Austrian also cited the pace deficit to McLaren and Ferrari, as well as the car's instability, as key factors in his assessment. Verstappen enters the second half of the season 110 points behind Antonelli, and Marko clearly stated his hope that the Dutchman will remain with Red Bull in the future.