Mercedes are entering a new era of Formula 1 this season after witnessing Lewis Hamilton depart the team after 12 years.
George Russell will be required to step up as the team’s de facto leader on the grid and he’s going to be joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had a big decision to make once he learned Hamilton would be moving on to join Ferrari in 2025.
Wolff showed an interest in Carlos Sainz in what would have been a straight swap with Ferrari but the Spaniard has instead joined Williams.
Max Verstappen was a target for Wolff as well, but he’s committed his future to Red Bull after winning a fourth consecutive championship.
It means the pressure falls on Antonelli to step into Hamilton’s place, although the 18-year-old has no interest in being immediately compared to the seven-time world champion.
Antonelli has completed thousands of miles of testing and made the most of his three sessions behind the wheel of the W16 in Bahrain.
Journalist Laurence Edmondson was speaking on the Unlapped Podcast and recalled one moment during testing that got the paddock talking about his talent.
Kimi Antonelli ‘turned a lot of heads’ with Mercedes race simulation in Bahrain
Edmondson was asked about the Italian rookie and how he performed in Bahrain and explained: “I’ve been incredibly impressed by Antonelli because one of the reasons that a lot of people have them as the second-fastest [team] was his race simulation from the second day of testing.
“That’s an opportunity to really understand where the cars are, because, they’re not just running on low fuel and doing single laps, they’ve got to start with a race tank of fuel and they burn it down.
“So, it’s a lot easier to make comparisons. There are still lots of variables that can lead you astray. But either way, the Mercedes looked like it was on pace with the Ferrari.
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“And that’s impressive in itself if you think Mercedes were last year. But that was a Mercedes being driven by Kimi Antonelli in what was his first proper race simulation on actual Pirelli tyres.
“So, he was able to do that and keep pace with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in roughly the same conditions and I think that turned a lot of heads.
“And I think a lot of people thought, well, that is impressive.”
People still sceptical about Mercedes ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
Although Antonelli matched Charles Leclerc’s race simulation pace in Bahrain, it’s hard to know whether he’ll be competing with the 43-podium F1 star at the Australian Grand Prix.
Edmondson elaborated on why Mercedes’ impressive testing performance might not be converted into points in Melbourne: “Their testing form looked really very good.
“We put them, I think third, but you could put an argument together to say they were the second-fastest team behind McLaren.
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“The reason we’re still a little bit sceptical is because the conditions were unusually cold in Bahrain. One thing we learned about the Mercedes last year is that when the conditions were cold, the car came alive.
“So if we turn up in a hot Melbourne, I think the forecast is quite hot, will that performance just bleed away like it did so often last year?”
The pressure is on Russell as the more experienced driver to challenge for race wins and podiums this season.
Ted Kravitz believes Russell will secure a top-three finish in Australia but given how quickly Antonelli got up to speed in Bahrain, it would be a mistake to bet against him.
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