Mercedes is set to make changes to its driver line-up in 2025, with Lewis Hamilton reportedly joining Ferrari. However, there are doubts about the swift promotion of Andrea Kimi Antonelli from F2 to Mercedes F1 next season. F2 commentator Alex Jacques questions whether team boss Toto Wolff would take such a “risk,” regardless of Antonelli’s talent. Despite being just 17 years old, Antonelli has been highly regarded as the future of Mercedes since joining their junior program in 2019. He has made rapid progress through the junior ranks, bypassing Formula 3 and advancing directly to Formula 2, where he will compete for Prema.
Speculation has emerged that Antonelli could potentially move to Formula 1 as early as next season, possibly filling the seat vacated by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, following Hamilton’s announcement of a switch to Ferrari at the end of this year. However, Jacques dismisses the idea of Wolff taking such a “risk” on Antonelli. He believes that Antonelli would have to completely dominate the championship in order to have a chance of starting the 2025 season with Mercedes. Jacques suggests that Wolff will aim to sign the strongest driver available to replace Hamilton, whether that be a World Champion, a race winner, or a promising talent. He doubts that Antonelli will begin the season with Mercedes.
Placing Antonelli in a Williams seat, similar to what Wolff did with George Russell, may also be challenging, as Williams already has its own young talents in Formula 2 with Zak O’Sullivan and Franco Colapinto. Wolff addressed the speculation surrounding Antonelli after Hamilton’s announcement, emphasizing the importance of Antonelli focusing on F2. He stated that creating rumors or distractions in the media would not be helpful for Antonelli’s F2 campaign. At this stage, Wolff prefers not to speculate about Antonelli’s potential move to Formula 1.
According to the Source formula1news.co.uk