Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff, Mercedes badge
Ahead of his F1 test, Toto Wolff says he’s undecided on whether the team’s ongoing troubles make it more attractive to put Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the car next season.
17-year-old Mercedes protege Antonelli is reportedly leading the running to fill Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant seat for the 2025 F1 season.
Could Mercedes put a rookie in the car next season?
However, Mercedes have not once fielded a rookie driver since buying the Brawn GP team back in 2010.
Instead, they’ve always put experienced drivers in the car such as World Champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton as well as former Williams drivers Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas and George Russell.
But with Formula 2 driver Antonelli the future of Mercedes, the Italian having joined the Brackley squad’s junior programme back in 2019, Wolff is considering promoting him next season after just one year in F2, having just skipped Formula 3.
He was asked if Mercedes’ struggles with the team having won just one Grand Prix since the start of the 2022 season made Antonelli a ‘more attractive’ option as there would be no pressure on the rookie to fight for race wins.
Wolff replied: “I think you can look at it from various perspectives.
“I believe we are in a rebuilding phase. We need to acknowledge that three years into these regulations we’ve got to do things differently than we’ve done in the past without throwing overboard what we believe is goodness in the way we operate.
“And rebuild a good team, we could put a young driver in, give him an opportunity with less pressure and fighting for victories immediately, or put a more experienced driver in the car that can help us dig ourselves out of the current performance.”
PlanetF1.com recommends
Ranked: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacements in order of likelihood
‘I don’t see much good anymore’ – Dutch pundit’s Lewis Hamilton ‘past his prime’ verdict
Wolff won’t give Antonelli pointers ahead of F1 test
Antonelli will have his first taste of F1 machinery later this week when he puts in the laps at the Red Bull Ring in a 2021 Mercedes W12.
His two-day test begins on Tuesday.
Asked if he would give Antonelli any pointers, Wolff laughed: “Well, that would be really bad if I would be starting to give Andrea instructions!
“But yeah, [the test] is going to be there with a 2021 car. We want to give him the feeling of what a really good car looks like, and then we are going to put him in the 2022 car to see what the difference is!
“I’m really keen and happy to see him in a Formula 1 car. He’s been with us since he was 11. I have a picture of him standing next to me on the centre console as a baby boy in go-karting, and now to witness that development into a Formula 1 driver is something that I’m really proud of.”
News Related
-
-
-
FILE PHOTO: A man walks in the Central Business District on a rainy day, in Beijing, China, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo By Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang and Kane Wu BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. furniture company head Jordan England thinks his firm’s Chinese suppliers are among the best ...
See Details:
Analysis-West's de-risking starts to bite China's prospects
-
Independent senators are trying a parliamentary tactic last successful 90 years ago to give first responders PTSD protections and end domestic violence discrimination in the workplace. Senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock took four elements of Labor’s larger workplace law reform bill and it passed the Senate against the government’s ...
See Details:
'Beyond a joke' Labor won't ensure PTSD protections: MP
-
-
-
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Rohingyan refugee NZYQ accidentally named in documents published by high court
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Colorado loses commitments of 2 more high school recruits
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Queensland Health issues urgent patient safety alert over national bacteria outbreak
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Townsville Community Pantry 'distressed' by fruit, vegetable waste at Aldi supermarket
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
What Is The Beaver Moon And What Does It Mean For You?
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Labor senator Pat Dodson to resign from politics due to health issues
-
Photograph: Rod McGuirk/AP The stateless Rohingyan refugee who successfully overturned the legality of indefinite immigration detention was accidentally named in documents published by the high court. The man was identified by his surname in a home affairs department email providing an internal update about the case, which was among documents ...
See Details:
Hamas releases 11 more hostages, as Israel agrees to extend ceasefire
OTHER NEWS
Disrupt Burrup Hub group say police have issued move-on notices prohibiting access to the WA site. A group of climate activists and filmmakers say their phones have been seized during ...
Read more »
As individuals, we have unique experiences that affect our mental health and wellbeing, but what about the collective experiences that influence each generation? The mental health of Australians has been ...
Read more »
Syed Ghazaly wants to see the Geraldton abattoir reopen early next year to process 1,000 sheep a day. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis) The new owners of a mothballed ...
Read more »
Carlton coach Michael Voss says he and his players understand there are heightened expectations on them, but insists the Blues are ready to develop individually and in their game plan. ...
Read more »
The Bulldogs’ off-season signing frenzy is set to continue with the club reportedly set to land Cronnor Tracey in a swap deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Tracey is expected ...
Read more »
Consumers and impacted businesses are being urged to have their say on the Optus outage, with the federal government laying out the terms of reference for its review into the ...
Read more »
It has been revealed a released immigration detainee is unable to be contacted by authorities. Border Force has referred the matter to the Federal Police as authorities are attempting to ...
Read more »