Mercedes prodigy tipped for possible F1 seat in 2025 

After an impressive start to his single-seater career, the highly-rated 17-year-old has been fast-tracked to F2 for this season, where he will race for Prema. 

Since joining Mercedes’ junior roster in 2019, the Italian has been billed as a potential successor to Lewis Hamilton, whose contract runs until the end of the 2025 season. 

Antonelli may find himself in with a shot of landing an F1 drive with one of Mercedes’ customer teams, according to F1.com's Lawrence Barretto. 

Barretto said the 2023 Formula Regional European and Middle East Championship champion “could yet be a contender for a seat next year”. 

“While there would be no room for him at Mercedes, Toto Wolff could perhaps look to place him at another team to build up his experience,” he continued. 

“He did just that with George Russell at Williams – and they might be on the look out for a driver anyway in ’25…"

Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant will once again form Williams’ driver line-up in 2024, but the latter’s long-term future is by no means secure. 

After a shaky rookie campaign, Sargeant faces an important season to prove he deserves to hold onto his seat, while Albon is thought to be attracting attention from bigger teams.