Kimi Antonelli has been hyped up as the next Max Verstappen of F1. Ever since Lewis Hamilton made his Ferrari move announcement, the Italian youngster has been linked to the Mercedes seat. The Dutchman himself has been linked strongly to the Silver Arrows drive. However, Joe Saward has now come out to suggest that Antonelli’s Mercedes drive will soon be announced.
“It is now virtually certain that Mercedes will soon name Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in 2025”, wrote Joe Saward in his Blog – Green Notebook as he explained the driver situation at Mercedes.
Saward suggested that Verstappen isn’t moving away from Red Bull until the end of the 2026 season.
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli is reportedly soon to be named as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for 2025 as per @joesaward:
“[….] it is now virtually certain that Mercedes will soon name Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in 2025.”
“[…..] His testing results… pic.twitter.com/7gK7wts3x4
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 24, 2024
Expanding on Antonelli’s blistering pace in the F1 tests conducted with Mercedes, Saward added, “His testing results with Mercedes are being suppressed (deliberately) to avoid building up expectations, but any doubts there seem to have gone”.
Antonelli had a shocker of a start to the F2 season. However, most of it was down to his team, Prema, not getting the car right. Now that he has a car with a competitive setup, the Italian F2 rookie has started winning races.
The Mercedes prodigy won the Sprint race at Silverstone followed by the feature race at the Hungaroring.
The Italian will turn 18 this year, and might very well then turn out to be the Verstappen Toto Wolff has been looking for. The Mercedes CEO missed out on signing the Dutchman when he first arrived on the F1 scene. Wolff doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake with Antonelli, hence has been proactive in giving him every chance possible to prove his worth.
Antonelli’s signing would lead to Verstappen staying with Red Bull For at least a year. However, this might put George Russell’s 2026 aspirations in danger.
Max Verstappen’s 2025 Mercedes Chances Slim Despite Nico Rosberg’s Engine Head Start Comments
Red Bull had a terrible weekend with Max Verstappen at the Hungarian GP. The team brought a major upgrade package which didn’t improve the car. On race, the team opted for an overcut strategy that ended up costing Verstappen a huge time and track position.
The Dutchman’s frustrations were clearly visible, Amid all this, Nico Rosberg came to advise that Mercedes has a head start for the 2026 regulation power units. The former F1 champ suggested that this will play a crucial role in getting Verstappen to sign with his former team.
However, it wouldn’t happen for the 2025 season if Antonelli joined the team. George Russell has a contract in place for the 2025 season. However, beyond that, there is no contract. The earliest Verstappen can join Mercedes will be at the start of the 2026 season.
