Russell supports Mercedes’ choice to elevate young Antonelli into a top F1 team role.
George Russell has defended Mercedes F1’s decision to place the very young and inexperienced Kimi Antonelli in the driver’s seat for 2025, suggesting that a driver either has speed or they don’t, regardless of age.
Antonelli, who recently turned 18, will be the third youngest F1 driver in history when he hits the track in Australia next year. Despite his inexperience, his future teammate believes age is just a number.
“Reflecting on when I was 18, there’s certainly a lot to take in. But as a driver, you either have the speed or you don’t, and I’m very confident that Kimi has the speed.”
“Everyone makes mistakes along their journey. It’s part of life and this sport. Kimi will no doubt learn from his accident in FP1, but he definitely has the speed to help Mercedes return to the front of the grid next year, and that’s exactly why he will be in the car alongside me next year.”
Russell continued by suggesting that in terms of raw pace, he is no faster now than he was at 17.
“I’ve always believed that you gain a lot with time and experience in terms of managing a race weekend, the tires, the team, but I don’t think I’m generally faster now than when I was 17. I think you either have the talent or you don’t, and Kimi definitely has the talent.”
“He has proven that across all his categories, there will be mistakes along the way, as there have been for all of us. I believe that every driver on the F1 grid in their first two seasons has made very visible errors, and this will obviously be even more highlighted for any driver leading the pack.”
“But Kimi is exceptionally fast. He will undoubtedly keep me on my toes next year, and I’m really looking forward to taking on a new challenge.”
“Three years of working with Lewis [Hamilton] have been exceptional, but I’m really excited to see what we can achieve together starting next year.”
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Russell defends Mercedes F1’s decision to appoint Antonelli Russell defends Mercedes F1’s decision to appoint Antonelli
