Kimi Antonelli will be thankful that Lewis Hamilton has joined Ferrari. On one level, it has allowed him to jump straight into a frontrunning F1 seat with Mercedes.
But on another, it will stop him being the centre of attention when F1’s pre-season testing begins in Bahrain at the end of February. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is one of the biggest stories in the sport’s history.
Ordinarily, the photographers would be flocking to the Mercedes garage. Antonelli is about to become the third-youngest driver in the history of Formula 1 behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll.
And not since Hamilton himself in 2007 has a driver jumped straight into such a fast car. Oscar Piastri scored podiums for McLaren in 2023, but Antonelli could compete for race wins based on the formbook.
While he only finished sixth in F2 last season – a good but unspectacular showing – Mercedes see Antonelli as the next Verstappen. He won four single-seater titles in two years before slotting in alongside Oliver Bearman at PREMA.
But this remains a major gamble from Toto Wolff, particularly given the identity of his predecessor. Antonelli crashed heavily on his first official F1 outing at the Italian Grand Prix, a sign that he’s still raw.
Helmut Marko tells Kimi Antonelli not to ‘force it’ at Mercedes in 2025
Speaking to sport.de, Red Bull executive director Helmut Marko offered his verdict on Antonelli ahead of his rookie season. Marko is an expert on young racing talent, having brought through Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.
He’s reminded of Verstappen’s arrival in 2015, which was also widely seen as a ‘risk’. However, the key difference is that the Dutchman was able to adapt in the midfield with de facto junior team Toro Rosso.
“Antonelli is a risk,” Marko said. “But we also took that risk with Max. He was younger when he got into the Formula 1 car. But he wasn’t in the top team and that’s why there was less pressure on Max.”
Antonelli has crashed in private testing, in addition to his Monza shunt. Marko has urged him to ‘build himself up slowly’ if he wants to be fighting with the Red Bulls next year.
| RANK | DRIVER | RACE | TEAM | AGE (Y/M/D) |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 2015 Australian Grand Prix | Toro Rosso | 17/5/5 |
| 2 | Lance Stroll | 2017 Australian Grand Prix | Williams | 18/4/26 |
| 3 | Oliver Bearman | 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Ferrari | 18/10/1 |
| 4 | Jaime Alguersuari | 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix | Toro Rosso | 19/4/3 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | 2019 Australian Grand Prix | McLaren | 19/4/4 |
If he maintains the kind of aggressive approach he showed at his home Grand Prix, then the Austrian fears he won’t last long in Formula 1. Antonelli has only signed a one-year contract, creating added pressure.
“The first three corners were extremely fast,” Marko said of his Monza crash. “In the fourth corner [sic] he ended up in the wall or the guard rails.
“If he skillfully 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.”
Was Kimi Antonelli really ill during the final Formula 2 round of the season?
Mercedes have gone to great lengths to protect Antonelli thus far. They’re clearly wary that he’ll sustain lasting damage if they leave him exposed.
Indeed, Mercedes restricted Antonelli’s media commitments during the first half of his F2 season. He was allowed to largely focus on racing without the scrutiny of the press.
Antonelli’s engineer Peter Bonnington wants him to have ‘fun’ next year. It may not be until 2026 that F1 fans begin to see the best of the Italian as Mercedes start to offer more precise instructions.
The teenager didn’t race in the final round of the F2 season, apparently due to illness. But Alexander Rossi wasn’t convinced that Antonelli was sick, suggesting that he was wary of damaging his stock by competing in the finale.
