“Chuck him out” theory dismissed as Mercedes told to stick with Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes have been told to give Andrea Kimi Antonelli “breathing space” in his rookie campaign.

Teenage starlet Antonelli was picked by Toto Wolff to become the replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.

Although supremely talented, Antonelli’s adaption to Formula 1 remains to be seen.

DOWNLOAD CRASH F1 PODCAST HERE

“We don’t know where Mercedes will rack up in the pecking order, in the past few seasons they’ve been neither here nor there for large quantities,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.

“They haven’t strung together championship campaigns, they have had flashes of performances like in Vegas. But they had no explanation for how they achieved it.

“If that continues into 2025, as I anticipate that it will, at least early on, it’s difficult to have a set goal for Antonelli.

“Based on what we’ve heard from Toto Wolff, I don’t think they will be setting specific goals to achieve.

“He has been very keen to downplay the hype around Antonelli.

“Kimi will want podiums, wins and pole positions but I’m not sure there will be a specific target set.

“While there is an element of being under pressure, he’s got to be given breathing space initially.

“They are bringing in an 18 year old who potentially has a massive future. They see him as their answer to Max Verstappen.

“I don’t see that they will just chuck him out if he has a slow start, or isn’t beating the standards expected.

“Mercedes might be happy if he goes under the radar, and doesn’t crash the car, rather than pulling out performances that will come in time.”

'Raw pace' predicted for Kimi Antonelli

Connor McDonagh said: “It’s a good year for Antonelli to join. 2026 is the big year. Toto has spoken about how the feeling inside the team is good, ahead of the new engines.

“It will be a year of learning for Antonelli.

“We will see his raw pace but with tyre management, you can improve that.

“In Charles Leclerc’s first year, he was rapid against Sebastian Vettel. In his second year, his tyre management really improved.”

Lewis Larkam continued: “Oscar Piastri was also undoubtedly quick in his first year, but he has improved with his consistency and his tyre management.

“It will be a similar case for Antonelli.

“It’s ideal for Mercedes to bring him in now, with less pressure. Mercedes are playing the long game with Antonelli.

“They see him as their future. This is his chance to make mistakes before they are in a championship-winning position, when expectations will be very different.”