Kimi Antonelli may have received some bad news this week. Sergio Perez’s contract at Red Bull could have a knock-on effect that delays his Formula 1 debut.
Now that the world champions have finalised their driver line-up, Carlos Sainz will have to look elsewhere. F1 Oversteer understands that Williams expect to sign Sainz for 2025.
James Vowles has looked into the possibility of replacing Logan Sargeant with Antonelli midway through the season. However, he’s unlikely to want a driver who’d only be around for a few months.
If Williams do sign Sainz, their driver line-up will be set, with Alex Albon recently signing a new contract. Vowles may be inclined to stick out the season with Sargeant, and avoid a potential payout, rather than effectively training a driver for his old team Mercedes.
Still, Antonelli may not have to wait long. A recent report claims that he has the unanimous approval of the Mercedes board after a vote on Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
The 17-year-old would become one of the youngest drivers in F1 history and the first rookie Mercedes have fielded since their return to the sport in 2010. But they’ve been so impressed with his performances in his private testing programme that they’re ready to take the chance.
Ralf Schumacher warns Esteban Ocon could lose F1 seat without Mercedes lifeline
Speaking to formel1.de, Ralf Schumacher warned that this could have serious ramifications for Esteban Ocon. Alpine announced on Monday that the 27-year-old would be leaving at the end of the season.
Mercedes have continued to manage their former academy driver since he left to join the Enstone outfit in 2019. But journalist Mark Hughes believes there’s ‘zero chance’ that he returns to the Silver Arrows for next year.
Ocon is an F1 race-winner who’s scored three podiums in his career, but he may end up leaving Alpine under a cloud. He sparked a furious reaction from team principal Bruno Famin after he hit teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Schumacher believes that Mercedes may be making a mistake by hiring Antonelli so early rather than going for an experienced stop-gap like Ocon until 2026, when Max Verstappen may be available. But if they go through with it, it could spell trouble for their former reserve driver.
“I think the danger is there [that he loses his spot on the grid],” he said. “Wolff will certainly try to accommodate him.
“We’re back to the point – if Max doesn’t want to join, he can and has to bridge a year if Russell can somehow get along well with him [Ocon]. I still think it’s very, very early for Antonelli.”
Why Williams don’t want to sign Ocon
Ocon has established himself as one of the fastest drivers in F1’s midfield. He’s leading fellow race-winner Gasly 6-2 in the qualifying head-to-head, and 6-1 in the races.
But speed isn’t all it takes to thrive in F1. And Ocon is developing a reputation as a trouble-causer that could cost him in the driver market.
Indeed, the Monaco GP saw him collide with his teammate for the sixth different time in his career. No wonder, then, that Vowles believes he isn’t a team player.
His ‘likeliest’ destination is Haas, where he could partner rookie Oliver Bearman. However, to earn that seat, he’ll have to fend off competition from the incumbent Kevin Magnussen and 10-time race-winner Valtteri Bottas.
The post ‘The danger is there’: Ralf Schumacher says Kimi Antonelli could cost F1 race-winner his spot on the 2025 grid appeared first on F1 Oversteer.