Mercedes are looking to bolster their future in this sport. Naturally, the Brackley-based outfit is looking to aggressively invest and nurture their junior ranks in order to achieve this. Now, it would appear that the Silver Arrows have struck gold as they flaunt a Max Verstappen-esque prodigy within their stable of drivers according to The Race.
Currently, the team has a solid lineup in F1 with 7x champion, Lewis Hamilton and a future contender in the form of George Russell. Both these drivers have multi-year contracts under their belts and have signaled their intent that they are with the team for the long-haul.
Mercedes, however, are going to be spoilt for choice as they now have a serious contender for the main F1 team with young inductee Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old has been turning heads for a long time now. Virtually unbeatable in the junior formulas, Antonelli has tied the hands of Mercedes to give its junior driver an opportunity that has sent shockwaves around the whole motorsport community.
Kimi Antonelli has shades of Max Verstappen in him
Antonelli has been promoted to Formula 2 for the 2024 season under the auspices of Mercedes and PREMA. Even though the Italian is only 17-years-old, he’s been a trailblazer in the junior categories. He’s a 2x European Karting champion and most recently wrapped up the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship with PREMA.
Antonelli’s career trajectory is very reminiscent to that of 3x champion, Max Verstappen. The Race hypothesized, “Antonelli’s promotion to F2 feels like the most seismic event since Red Bull promised a 16-year-old Max Verstappen an immediate F1 seat.”
Though Antonelli has seemingly been given a VIP pass to F1’s main feeder series, his meteoric rise is not unwarranted. His 2023 season in FRECA with PREMA speaks volumes of his talent. The Italian amassed a whopping 5 wins, 11 podiums and 4 pole positions on his way to the title.
Antonelli ready to disrupt the established order at Mercedes
If Antonelli can keep up his trajectory in F2 next year, Mercedes’ hands would be tied. That is to say, he’d make a compelling argument for a seat in F1. And Mercedes would rather bow to his talents than let a rival F1 team swoop him up.
F1 pedigree seems to be running through Kimi’s veins. The Race’s report continued, “Antonelli heading to F2 is the biggest junior racing bombshell at least since Lance Stroll jumped from European Formula 3 to F1 with Williams. He is widely recognised as the next big thing – and, like Verstappen and like Stroll, he is step-hopping in a big way.”
If Toto Wolff is forced to consider Antonelli for an F1 seat with the team in the near future, it would most certainly spell the end of Lewis Hamilton’s run with the team. Getting Kimi onboard would be the final signal to Hamilton that the team has now moved on from their past glories and on to creating a new dynasty with young chargers like Russell and Antonelli.
