Mercedes staff are getting used to a very different dynamic in the team as the 2025 Formula 1 season gets underway.
George Russell has stepped up into the role of team leader at Mercedes after three seasons of learning from Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is by far the most talked about subject going into this campaign, but it’s created an equally interesting subplot at his old team.
That’s because Toto Wolff out of all the options available to him has chosen to promote 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli into his seat.
Expectations on Antonelli are being tempered for now, but there’s a reason why he’s going to be the third-youngest Formula 1 driver of all time.
He’s been phenomenally quick throughout his career thus far and the fact he finished sixth in the Formula 2 drivers’ championship last year shouldn’t be taken too seriously given the problems Prema faced in 2024.
Antonelli has talked about how he’ll deal with the pressure of replacing Hamilton but there are so many things that the Brit did behind the scenes to help the team where the teenager suddenly has to try and fill that void.
Wolff has spoken to Sky Sports F1 about one of those jobs which is the team briefings ahead of each Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff calls Kimi Antonelli a ‘performance animal’ in Mercedes briefings
Wolff was asked about Antonelli and whether he’s going to work to help him enjoy this year and remember that he’s still a teenager and replied: “Yeah, I think he is a teenager, he’s 18 but the problem is the moment you land in Formula 1, all the teenager stuff stops because it’s just too serious and it’s a tough, tough environment.
“But you can see that, you can see that very youngish boy from let’s say when you look at him.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
“But when I see him in the car and the attitude in the briefings, there’s a performance animal that is there and I think we’re going to see some of that on track, hopefully all of that.”
Antonelli is very excited about Mercedes’ 2025 car and was on track on the first morning of pre-season testing in Bahrain before George Russell takes over in the afternoon.
After thousands of testing miles in Mercedes’ old cars, he’s now had a proper taste of the 2025 machine he’ll be racing with during his rookie campaign.
Toto Wolff talks about George Russell’s potential alongside Kimi Antonelli
Wolff was asked about Russell’s potential over the next two seasons and whether he can go up a level and explained: “Yeah, of course, you can only be as good as the car is and remember his first ever Mercedes he could have won it and should have won it if it was not down to the team’s mistake.
“So, he has the potential in him and we just provide the two of them a platform that is predictable and has lots of downforce.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff
Russell has admitted that Antonelli has already surprised him since being promoted into the second Mercedes alongside him.
He’ll be desperate to stamp his authority on the team in the early rounds of the 2025 campaign while Antonelli will be desperate to turn a few heads to prove he was the right choice to be Hamilton’s replacement.
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