Kimi Antonelli warned he’s “expected to deliver” at Mercedes | “That excuse is gone”
The pressure is on Kimi Antonelli to perform from his first race with Mercedes
Ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok has warned Andrea Kimi Antonelli that he’s “expected to deliver” even if Mercedes aren’t in title contention in 2025.
Antonelli will make his F1 debut with Mercedes, replacing Lewis Hamilton.
The Italian, often referred to as Mercedes' wonderkid, has been dubbed potentially the ‘next Max Verstappen’.
Antonelli faces the daunting challenge of filling the shoes of a seven-time world champion in a top team like Mercedes.
Mercedes may decide focus on 2026 - when the new regulations are introduced - giving Antonelli less pressure in his rookie season.
However, Chandhok believes he will still need to perform immediately, regardless of Mercedes’ competitiveness.
“No, I don’t think so. I think whether you’re driving for the team who finished 10th in the championship or the team at the front of the grid. As a rookie in F1, there’s nowhere to hide,” Chandhok said on the Sky F1 podcast.
“For Kimi Antonelli, the fact he’s coming in as a rookie but with a top team means you’re expected to deliver, as Lewis was when he arrived at McLaren when he got nine podiums off the bat. Also Oscar Piastri, he’s shown in the last two years.
“The expectations on rookies are high. You can’t just be there saying, ‘I’m here to learn.’ That excuse is gone with the likes of Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Lewis before that. These rookies have just raised the bar of expectations.”
Rookies reshuffle the F1 2025 grid
Antonelli isn’t the only rookie joining the F1 grid in 2025.
Oliver Bearman will make his full-time debut at Haas alongside Esteban Ocon.
Ocon’s replacement is Jack Doohan at Alpine, while Gabriel Bortoleto has been given the nod over Valtteri Bottas at Sauber.
Isack Hadjar could also join that list if Red Bull decide to promote Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda, potentially opening up a seat at VCARB.
The arrival of several rookies means there will be no Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen or potentially Sergio Perez on the grid next year.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
