Mercedes currently have the most enticing open seat on the Formula 1 grid for 2025 with Toto Wolff seeking to do the impossible and replace Lewis Hamilton.
There will be a lot of drivers in F1 and outside of the sport right now who will be eyeing a spot alongside George Russell at Mercedes next year.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, journalist Tom Clarkson and former F1 champion Damon Hill were discussing one potential candidate.
Mercedes aren’t in the strongest position after years of failing to understand the current regulations.
Russell and Lewis Hamilton are typically fighting for minor points every weekend – aside from Hamilton’s podium in the Sprint Race in China – but it’s still a very appealing seat on the grid.
Mercedes have high hopes for 17-year-old driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli but Hill believes the pressure is already building on the teenager.
He’s going to be in action once again this weekend as Formula 2 returns to the F1 race weekend and a lot of focus will be on how he performs at his home race.
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Damon Hill says the pressure is on Mercedes candidate Kimi Antonelli
There hasn’t been this much hype around a driver not currently in Formula 1 for some time.
Kimi Antonelli has excelled in virtually every category he’s raced in and skipped Formula 3 altogether this year to drive in F2 for PREMA.
He’s outscored teammate Oliver Bearman this season – although the Brit missed a round in Jeddah after earning an F1 call-up – although in the races they’ve part in together, Antonelli has come out on top.
The 17-year-old has also been driving Formula 1 cars behind the scenes for Mercedes so that the team can get an idea of what level he’s at right now.
Antonelli took part in a test racing against Mick Schumacher at Silverstone although the final results of that skirmish aren’t yet public.
Toto Wolff has suggested that Antonelli is a candidate to drive for Mercedes next year but Hill has now admitted that he’s already under pressure.
With only 20 cars on the grid, there’s very little time to adapt to F1 with so many drivers itching for their opportunity.
Antonelli doesn’t look likely to be driving for Mercedes – or Williams – until his 18 birthday, but the interest in performances will be greater than most drivers have ever experienced.
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Kimi Antonelli working hard to make F1 dream a reality
Clarkson: “One of the news stories I’m really looking forward to finding out more about when we get to the track on Thursday is the pace of Kimi Antonelli who tested at Silverstone last week in the two-year-old Mercedes.
“And George Russell was setting the bogey time for him and I don’t know, no one has told me yet but I want to find out how close Antonelli got to George Russell’s time because that will tell us a lot about what Toto Wolff is thinking for his driver line-up next year.”
Hill: “I think it’s a lot of expectation being placed on [Kimi] Antonelli. Toto’s [Wolff] already acknowledged that but this is part of the game, this is part of the sport.
“You either can deal with that or you can’t and if you can’t then you perhaps don’t deserve to be there.”
As well as Hill believing that Antonelli is already facing a lot of expectations before he’s even stepped into Mercedes’s 2024 car, several other figures have had their say on the teenager.
Nico Rosberg believes there’s an unfortunate reason why Mercedes should snub the 17-year-old.
Peter Windsor thinks George Russell would love to have Antonelli as a teammate as he would be able to dominate the youngster.
However, Max Verstappen has stood up for Antonelli and admitted he’s not a fan of the rule preventing him from stepping up to Formula 1 before his 18 birthday.
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