One driver after another is securing his place in Formula 1 2025 – possibly an indication that Mercedes is hoping for Andrea Kimi Antonelli?
Even if there is no official decision yet: There are growing signs that Andrea Kimi Antonelli could actually have a realistic chance of becoming a Mercedes works driver in Formula 1 as early as 2025. A prospect that was considered rather unlikely just two months ago
In the Formula 2 qualifying results in Imola, the Italian local hero initially only finished 18th. However, this was because his fastest lap was disallowed due to track limits. He was later classified in P4 after all. He is currently ninth in the overall standings. Solid for a rookie, but not really cause for euphoria.
However, Antonelli, who is not yet 18 years old, seems to have impressed in the tests he has completed so far in discarded Mercedes cars, including at Spielberg, Silverstone and Imola. At least the team’s Technical Director, James Allison, has been.
“I recently had the great pleasure of listening to our engineers describe their interaction with him,” says Allison, praising Antonelli as a “young, enthusiastic driver, very, very fast, with a pace like a metronome. He’d never been in a Formula 1 car until recently, but after just one or two laps it looks like he’ll be doing it forever.”
Statements that give Antonelli an outstanding testimonial. Mercedes does not disclose any lap times or other information about the tests so far. But when Allison says that Antonelli is firstly fast and secondly that he can maintain his pace consistently, then that is – in a positive sense – very impressive
“Not messed up” by old cars
In addition: “He approaches the ‘ground effect’ cars with an open mind. He feels exactly what you would expect him to feel. But he’s not spoiled by previous years. He takes the cars as they are and tells us exactly what the strengths and weaknesses are and lets the engineers work on improving them.”
Antonelli is a “very promising young driver”, emphasizes Allison – and is explicitly not assessing the chances of the 17-year-old sitting in a Mercedes in 2025. That is a decision that he does not make, but rather the “heavyweights” in the team – above all Team Principal Toto Wolff.
Red Bull & Mercedes: No chance for Sainz?
These statements are interesting in the context of new movements on the driver market. Alexander Albon has committed himself to Williams at an early stage, although he was considered a contender for a Red Bull cockpit.
Fernando Alonso had already said goodbye to the “silly season” with his new contract at Aston Martin. This leads insiders to believe that the “silly season” may not be as “silly” as it looked for a short time, and that Max Verstappen may be leaning towards staying with Red Bull after all. Despite the Horner affair
The most exciting thing is that Sainz is apparently no longer an issue at Mercedes. If the information is correct, could this mean that Antonelli was so convincing in the tests that Wolff has given up the search for a transitional driver – because he knows that Antonelli could be good enough by 2025?
Theoretically, in this context, a constellation would be conceivable in which Antonelli climbs into the Williams in late summer instead of Logan Sargeant and gains racing experience there in order to be ready for Mercedes in 2025. After all, Williams makes no secret of the fact that they are no longer happy with Sargeant.
However, whether team boss James Vowles would be prepared to train Antonelli for just a few races and then let him move to Mercedes is another matter. That only seems conceivable if Mercedes can offer him an attractive incentive as part of a counter-deal …