Mercedes promoted Andrea Kimi Antonelli to a full-time race seat for 2025 as the team’s first-ever rookie signing, elevating him at 18 after scouting him in karting in 2017. Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes’ head of driver development, said the team learned from George Russell’s three-year spell at Williams — which required “half a season to get him up to speed” after joining Mercedes in 2022 — and decided to accelerate Antonelli’s path so he would be ready when the team expected to be more competitive in 2026. Lagrue praised Antonelli’s maturity and leadership, likened her early impression to seeing Max Verstappen at a young age, and told Toto Wolff to secure him for the Mercedes program, framing the promotion as a strategic development gamble because Mercedes did not expect to fight for the title in 2025. The club judged the risk worthwhile to shorten his learning curve and build long-term upside.

Antonelli, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2025 at 19 after replacing Lewis Hamilton following Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, had a rookie season marked by both promise and painful setbacks. Toto Wolff called the appointment a “big ask,” and Antonelli’s year included several high-profile errors — most notably taking Max Verstappen out at the opening lap of the Austrian Grand Prix — and a midseason loss of confidence after a rear-suspension update. He endured a long points drought, scoring only once between rounds seven and 13 with his maiden podium (P3) at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, but finished the year with three Grand Prix podiums: P2 in São Paulo and P3 in Canada and Las Vegas, plus a P2 in the São Paulo Sprint after chasing Lando Norris. Those results underlined flashes of pace and resilience amid the typical rookie learning curve.

Looking ahead to 2026, Antonelli has set an ambitious target of winning the World Championship as he prepares for his second F1 season, buoyed by a strong three-day Barcelona pre-season shakedown where Mercedes logged 1,134 laps and suggested the W17 has competitive pace. Mercedes warned that continued speed at the upcoming Bahrain pre-season test would position them as the team to beat when the season opens in Australia. At the W17 launch Antonelli said his goal is to win and to eventually fight for the championship, and he expressed eagerness to compete alongside teammate George Russell. Toto Wolff has counseled caution — recalling Antonelli’s midseason slump in 2025 and warning that Russell-level consistency should not be expected immediately — while nonetheless expressing confidence that the young driver can deliver a strong year.

Sources