Jacques Villeneuve sees one ‘big question’ hanging over Kimi Antonelli, it could cost Mercedes

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has continued the Mercedes driver’s strong start to his rookie F1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, but Jacques Villeneuve still has one ‘big question’.

The 18-year-old qualified sixth for Sunday’s race after posting a 1:27.555 lap of Suzuka in Q3 on his first-ever visit to the Honda-owned circuit. Antonelli was also only 0.237s slower than Mercedes teammate George Russell, who will also start the Japanese GP from the third row.

Securing sixth on the grid also marks Antonelli’s best qualifying result of the 2025 F1 season so far. He managed just 16th in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix after sustaining floor damage in Q1 and qualified P8 for the Chinese Grand Prix but 0.380s slower than P2 Russell.

Jacques Villeneuve questions if Andrea Kimi Antonelli can help Mercedes improve their car

Melbourne’s mixed conditions helped Antonelli shine on his F1 debut at the Australian GP as he rose from P16 up to P4 to be the youngest-ever F1 points-scorer. Mercedes feel Antonelli should have fought Max Verstappen in the Chinese GP, too, if not for suffering floor damage.

The Bologna boy ran over the front wing endplate from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on Lap 1/56 in Shanghai. Yet he still managed to end the race in P6, as Antonelli was named Driver of the Day at the Chinese GP. Now, he is finding pace on the Italian’s first visit to Suzuka this week.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

But Villeneuve feels a ‘big question’ still lingers over if Antonelli can help Mercedes improve their car. The 1997 champion thinks it will be crucial for their F1 constructors’ championship hopes to boast two strong drivers like rivals McLaren have in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

“[Mercedes] have been going under the radar,” Villeneuve told Sky Sports F1 (05/04, 06:14). “They’ve got more points than actually we know. We look at the screen and, ‘Wow’, they’ve got a lot of points as a team’. They’re always up there. They’re always really competitive.

“[Russell’s] done really well but is Antonelli ready to help them develop that car? That is the big question. He’s young, he doesn’t have the experience. He’s driving OK, he’s gotten big points. But McLaren, why did they become so competitive? Two drivers developing that car.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s ‘odd’ car control at Mercedes would not work at Red Bull

McLaren won their first constructors’ championship since 1998 last season as Norris scored second place in the drivers’ standings and Piastri came fourth. The Woking natives are even now the favourites to retain the teams’ title for the first time since 1991 in the 2025 season.

Mercedes currently sit second to McLaren in the standings thanks to Russell’s P3 finishes in Australia and China. The 27-year-old is the only driver alongside Norris to finish both of the first two Grands Prix on the podium. Russell also sealed fourth in the F1 Sprint in Shanghai.

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But with Antonelli taking P4 in Australia and P6 in China after Ferrari’s first-ever double DSQ, plus P7 in the Shanghai Sprint, Mercedes already trail McLaren by 21 points after Norris won in Melbourne and Piastri won in China. So, the Silver Arrows will need to improve their W16.

Yet while Villeneuve questions if Antonelli can help Mercedes improve their car and to fight for the constructors’ title, the Italian’s slightly ‘odd’ car control has impressed the Canadian. He feels Antonelli would struggle to replicate his car control at Mercedes in Red Bull’s RB21.

Villeneuve continued: “You can see that he throws the car into the corners, which is a little bit odd. But the car must be very stable as it sticks to the track. He couldn’t do that in a Red Bull, for example.”