There are plenty of new storylines that will be of particular interest to Formula 1 fans when the 2025 season begins and arguably the two most exciting involve Mercedes.
For the first time since 2012, Mercedes will line up on the F1 grid without Lewis Hamilton in one of their cars.
Hamilton heads to Ferrari and there will be a huge amount of anticipation to see how fares racing alongside Charles Leclerc.
The other exciting plot developing in F1 is the number of rookies who will be on the grid in 2025.
Four drivers are preparing for their full debuts in Formula 1 next year and they could still be joined by Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto.
Out of all the new names in the paddock, Kimi Antonelli is the one many people are most excited about.
He’s being thrown straight into the deep end at Mercedes and has the unenviable task of trying to live up to Hamilton’s legacy.
However, Mercedes were linked with several drivers before Antonelli was confirmed, even if team principal Toto Wolff has always insisted that the Italian teenager was the only choice going forward.
Communications chief Bradley Lord was speaking on the Formel 1 YouTube channel and dismissed the idea that Mercedes have already thought about lining up a temporary replacement for Antonelli.
The name in question was Carlos Sainz, who will be racing for Williams next season.
Mercedes chief rules out Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli swap deal next year
Wolff suggested Sainz was an option for Mercedes earlier in the season when the seat next to George Russell was still vacant.
However, that move never materialised, leaving the £6m-a-year driver to consider his options further down the grid if he wanted to stay in Formula 1.
Lord was asked if Sainz would be an option for Mercedes next year if Antonelli doesn’t live up to expectations and said: “We don’t think about such scenarios at all.
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“We have full focus on Kimi and George and how we make this driving experience a successful one.
“It’s also being talked about a lot too much, it’s too flippant, that swaps can easily happen between Mercedes and Williams.
“Williams is an independent team with a lot of heritage and with its own demands and ambitions.”
Why Kimi Antonelli will only be under pressure after the 2025 F1 season finishes
The next season is set to be one of the most competitive memory in Formula 1 with a rule change on the horizon the following year.
While teams won’t stop developing their cars for next season, more and more resources will be shifted across as the campaign goes on to make sure teams can start as quickly as possible when the status quo is potentially reset.
Mercedes will be hoping to make progress over the winter, but the odds that they’re suddenly competing for race wins every weekend are slim considering the current gap to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything to know
It means that Antonelli won’t be expected to immediately deliver points, podiums or even wins that could have an impact on Mercedes winning a championship.
He will instead be tasked with learning as much as he can from Russell and making sure he’s at the highest level possible when 2026 comes around.
Hamilton has already been helping Antonelli out, and the thousands of kilometres of private testing he’s done should stand him in good stead.
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