It’s been a very busy day in the Formula 1 driver’s market ahead of the beginning of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Both Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll confirmed that they will be staying with Alpine and Aston Martin respectively until at least the end of the 2025 F1 season.
It means the number of available seats on the grid for next year is quickly declining and every team except for Haas has now confirmed at least one driver.
Speaking on the Autosport Podcast, journalist Alex Kalinauckas has named another driver who is almost certain to be driving in Formula 1 next year.
Most of the talk at the moment is about the seats at the far end of the paddock with Carlos Sainz dominating the conversation.
However, the only seat available at a potentially race-winning team is Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton decided to join Ferrari for next year.
Mercedes haven’t officially decided who will join George Russell in 2025, but Kalinauckas is now ‘99%’ sure it’s going to be Kimi Antonelli.
It’s not 100% yet as team principal Toto Wolff continues to keep the door open for Red Bull star Max Verstappen in case he chases his mind about where he wants to drive next year.
READ MORE: Who is Mercedes academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything you need to know
Kimi Antonelli now has ‘99%’ chance of driving for Mercedes in 2025
Talking about what’s likely to happen at Mercedes next season, Kalinauckas said: “Well we know that it’s 99% going to be Kimi Antonelli but the reason why they haven’t announced that is that there’s this 1% or I don’t know, 0.1% chance that Max Verstappen could be lured away from Red Bull.
“You’ve got Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius saying, ‘Oh wouldn’t Max look good in silver, no?’
“That does suggest that Mercedes still haven’t quite given up the chase. It irks Christian Horner whenever he’s told that Toto Wolff has been chatting about Max Verstappen in his media sessions at these F1 weekends.
“But yeah, that’s the reason why Antonelli hasn’t been announced. If someone were to jump in at the front of the queue, be it Verstappen or an outside contender at this point, it’s not a given that he wouldn’t do a second year in Formula 2.
“Things haven’t gone the way that anybody would have expected with PREMA Racing, they haven’t been able to get on top of this car.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Mercedes putting their full faith in Kimi Antonelli
There are several interesting factors when it comes to dissecting why Kimi Antonelli will be driving for Mercedes next year.
Ultimately, Toto Wolff has decided to go with the 17-year-old Italian over Carlos Sainz who he did hold talks with earlier in the season.
The Spaniard is the strongest free agent on the grid but Mercedes could have gone with the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon or Pierre Gasly if they so wished.
Antonelli isn’t having the best time in Formula 2 this year, although that’s not completely his fault with PREMA really struggling with the new car.
The best comparison to make is with teammate Oliver Bearman who is expected to make the step up to F1 as well.
He’s outscored the young Brit in the championship and a first podium could be just around the corner.
Mercedes will still consider whether to try and place him at Williams during the summer break with Logan Sargeant continuing to underperform.
However, Mercedes might feel that keeping him out of the Formula 1 limelight for as long as possible is the right thing to do.
The post 'Going to be': After Gasly and Stroll, another driver is now ‘99%’ sure to be on the grid in 2025 – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.