Kimi Antonelli mistake that will put Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes replacement 'in danger'
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Kimi Antonelli has been advised not to "force" success in his first season with Mercedes. The 18-year-old this year becomes the youngest driver on the grid after his promotion to Formula 1. He fills the considerable void left at Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton, who is now officially a Ferrari driver almost 12 months on from his decision to switch teams.
From very early on, Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff wanted to give the place to Antonelli. He tried to unsettle Max Verstappen at the height of discord behind the scenes at Red Bull but, as soon as he knew the Dutchman wasn't going to move for 2025, the Austrian's full focus turned to the young talent Mercedes already had on the books.
Antonelli comes into F1 as team-mate and understudy to George Russell, who performed well up against Hamilton over three seasons. Putting him up against the Brit in a top team straight away is, in the eyes of Red Bull academy chief Helmut Marko, a bold move.
"Antonelli is a risk," he told Germany's Sport.de. "If he skilfully implements his clearly existing strengths and speed and builds himself up slowly, then he can become a threat. If he tries to force it, then I think his career is also in danger somewhere.".
Wolff has been keen to play down Antonelli's prospects of setting the F1 world alight in his debut season. Speaking about the task his young Italian racer faces, the Mercedes chief made it clear there will be no expectation of perfection in 2025. He said of his team's chances over the coming season: "I think the opportunity is there to fight for victories, and if you can do that, you will fight for the championship.
