Lewis Hamilton won’t be regretting his move to Ferrari just yet, but watching both Mercedes drivers race off into the distance at the Japanese Grand Prix wouldn’t have felt great for the seven-time world champion.
Ferrari haven’t started the 2025 Formula 1 season in the manner that either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc would have wanted.
Jacques Villeneuve was concerned by Hamilton’s onboard footage during the Japanese Grand Prix, although his Monegasque teammate achieved the team’s best result of the season with a P4 finish at Suzuka.
That’s not taking into account Hamilton’s brilliant Sprint Race win in China, although that result is looking more and more like an anomaly rather than the norm for the Scuderia.
However, in Hamilton’s old Mercedes camp, things are looking much more rosy for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Russell secured back-to-back podiums in the first two races, and Antonelli broke two Formula 1 records with his performance at Suzuka.
Ted Kravitz and David Croft were keeping a close eye on the 18-year-old’s progress in Japan and were left thoroughly impressed by one feat he managed during Sunday’s race.
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Kimi Antonelli’s ‘amazing’ tyre management overshadows Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix
During the only pit stop window of the race, Hamilton locked up into the final corner before heading into the pits, with Max Verstappen approaching him.
When Croft threw to Kravitz on Sky Sports F1 (6/4 6:52 am), he was covering the Ferrari driver’s pit stop and said: “A great pit stop from Ferrari for Lewis Hamilton, so he’ll clear [Isack] Hadjar pretty easily now that Hadjar was stuck behind Carlos Sainz in the Williams, so no problem for Hamilton.
“They waited as long as they could Crofty, the safety car never came, it was worth a wait.
Youngest race leader wasn’t the only F1 record Kimi broke during the Japanese GP
He’s also the youngest ever driver to score fastest lap, too 👏 pic.twitter.com/YWy5xByjJ8
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 6, 2025
“But yeah, amazing how Kimi Antonelli has outlasted Hamilton on a harder tyre! Great laps from Kimi Antonelli, this is brilliant stuff.”
Croft replied: “Absolutely! Took the lead on lap 22, we’re on lap 31 of this race, and he’s still out in the lead.”
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Kimi Antonelli doing everything right to earn second Formula 1 season with Mercedes
Mercedes are one of the only teams in the paddock who need to think about the driver’s market this season.
Both Russell and Antonelli are out of contract this season, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff holding a long-term interest in Verstappen.
However, unlike when Mercedes placed Russell at Williams earlier in his career, there isn’t an obvious landing spot for Antonelli if Wolff decides to try and keep him on the F1 grid while also signing the four-time world champion.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
62 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
61 |
| 3 |
Oscar Piastri |
49 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
45 |
| 5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
30 |
| 6 |
Charles Leclerc |
20 |
| 7 |
Alexander Albon |
18 |
| 8 |
Lewis Hamilton |
15 |
| 9 |
Esteban Ocon |
10 |
| 10 |
Lance Stroll |
10 |
Antonelli is not only dealing with the pressure of replacing Hamilton, but also knowing that Verstappen could end up on the market if things go downhill at Red Bull.
The teenager has performed very well so far this season, and while he’s not quite matched Russell in qualifying or in terms of his race pace, the signs are clearly there that he’ll be a leading Formula 1 driver one day.
He’ll want to secure his Mercedes future as soon as possible, but Mercedes may just decide to be patient in case the driver’s market begins to develop over the course of the campaign.
