Kimi Antonelli could make his Formula 1 debut for Mercedes next season, replacing Lewis Hamilton. Over the past few months, many of the other contenders have fallen by the wayside.
Toto Wolff has known since the winter that Hamilton would be joining Ferrari for 2025. But he hasn’t seemed overly enamoured with the options elsewhere on the F1 grid.
He held extensive talks with the manager of Fernando Alonso but there’s no indication that he made him an offer before he signed a new deal at Aston Martin. Likewise, ‘tentative’ discussions with Alex Albon went no further prior to his Williams extension.
Wolff doesn’t seem to have seriously entertained the idea of bringing Valtteri Bottas or Esteban Ocon back to Brackley as a stop-gap signing pre-Antonelli. He did reportedly offer Carlos Sainz a one-year deal, but the ousted Ferrari driver wanted more security.
Hiring Antonelli would represent a major risk for Wolff. While the team regard him as a prodigious talent with the same potential as Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc, the 17-year-old is still getting fully up to speed in Formula 2.
The Mercedes boss will understand the wider importance of this decision. He’s replacing the most successful driver in F1 history at a time when his leadership has come under scrutiny, with the Silver Arrows rarely able to fight for victories on track.
Mercedes must give Kimi Antonelli a seat for 2025
F1 Insider have now revealed the existence of a vital clause in Antonelli’s Mercedes contract. They must find him a Formula 1 seat for the 2025 season.
It’s unclear whether or not the teenager’s deal can be broken if they fail to do so. Mercedes will certainly want to preclude the possibility of a rival team poaching him.
Originally, the plan was for Antonelli to join Williams at the lower end of the grid. Wolff was hoping his relationship with his former colleague James Vowles would come in handy.
But the ex-strategist is instead determined to sign Sainz alongside Alex Albon. Ironically, had Mercedes hired the Spaniard, their plan may have been viable.
As it turns out, Wolff’s only option is to promote Antonelli straight to the top team. And with Max Verstappen yet to definitively say no, George Russell could be at risk.
The report states that Russell’s seat could ‘suddenly be up for grabs’. That’s because Mercedes may end up in a situation where three drivers are competing ‘for just two cockpits’.
Damon Hill says Toto Wolff is ‘undermining’ George Russell
Like Antonelli, Russell himself is a graduate of the Mercedes academy. He had to spend three years at Williams before he received a call-up to replace Bottas.
The 26-year-old may wonder why Antonelli has been fast-tracked while he had to be so patient. But is his spot really in danger?
Russell is now in his third season at Mercedes and he’s currently out-performing seven-time champion Hamilton. He’s 14 points ahead in the championship and leads his compatriot 8-1 in the qualifying head-to-head.
He scored his first victory at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix and has bagged 11 podiums for the team overall, delivering their first of the season in Canada last weekend. But it was a race that was tinged with regret.
Russell started on pole position for just the second time in his career but made a series of mistakes that may have cost him the race win. Late in the race, he tried a move on Oscar Piastri that Wolff says was ‘never on’.
There have been a couple of occasions now where he’s faltered at high-pressure moments. But Damon Hill feels that Wolff is ‘undermining’ his driver by coaching him over the team radio during races, which may point to a lack of faith.
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