Filling in the shoes of Lewis Hamilton would not be easy for anyone, let alone an 18-year-old with little experience in F1. That is what rookie Kimi Antonelli will be tasked with in 2025 as he partners up with George Russell at Mercedes, hoping to meet the high expectations placed on his shoulders.
Antonelli’s young age suggests that he has a big learning curve ahead of him. However, Mercedes is a team that demands success. If the Silver Arrows field a competitive car, they would expect Antonelli to get up and running from the get-go. This is what Matt Whyman spoke about in the Fast and the Curious podcast recently.
Whyman, the author of Inside Mercedes F1, insisted that Antonelli would be under immense pressure. “It isn’t just about how you perform on the car…but it’s all the media, responsibilities..” he said.
George Kimi
Russell is looking forward to the new challenge posed by Antonelli’s arrival at Mercedes.#F1 pic.twitter.com/XeINEbQ6Wq
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 11, 2024
However, Whyman believes that Antonelli will be supported internally. While Whyman believes that Russell would be up to the task as well, he did have a grim warning for the young Italian driver. “
You can’t buy experience. That just comes with time…”, he explained. “Ultimately when they’re out on the track, they’re driving for the team, but…it’s a very selfish sport,” the 55-year-old added.
He suggested that although Russell would be the lead driver and take up the role of helping Antonelli settle into the team, his main motive would be to defeat him every single time they suit up. Thankfully for Antonelli, he may find another shoulder to lean on in case that turns out to be a problem.
Return of Mercedes’ unsung hero?
Since losing his Sauber seat for 2025, Valtteri Bottas has been on a job hunt. His favored destination? Mercedes. Bottas previously drove for Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, helping the Brackely-based squad win five Constructors’ Championships in a row.
He also won 10 races with the Silver Arrows, and if they land him back in a reserve role, his experience would not just be of value to the team, but also Antonelli. When asked about whether Bottas could play a role in mentoring Antonelli, Whyman described the ‘family-like’ atmosphere within.
Team Principal Toto Wolff wanted the word family replaced with ‘tribe’, which Whyman opined was like a family on ‘war footing’. “If he [Antonelli] needs to talk to the reserve driver, if he needs to talk to George — they will be there.”
