Antonelli's 2025 F1 Debut: Mercedes, Alpine, or Williams?

Wolff hints at a 2025 F1 debut for Antonelli. Will it be with Mercedes, Alpine, or Williams?

While Carlos Sainz now appears to rule himself out of a move to a top team such as Mercedes F1 or Red Bull for 2025, despite lingering uncertainties, the path at Mercedes is clear for 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli to make his Formula 1 debut in 2025.

Team boss Toto Wolff had left Lewis Hamilton’s cockpit potentially open to Max Verstappen, but the triple world champion now seems firmly attached to his Red Bull seat, at least for the time being.

“Max is very strong,” Wolff stated on Saturday. “We can see they’ve started to have a car that suits him better for Spa-Francorchamps. He is the strongest at the moment.”

“But you never know, we have a young one coming up who is very strong,” added the Austrian, referring to his own young protege in F2, Antonelli.

“He’s only 17 – he’s not even old enough to hold a normal driving licence. At the same time, we continue to observe the market.”

Will he be with Mercedes F1 next year? Wolff still evades with a smile.

“He will arrive in F1 in 2025.”

Antonelli could indeed be part of the Alpine F1 package with the Mercedes engine if he were not to be directly appointed by Wolff to his team. However, he does not appear to be really in contention for a seat at Williams, with James Vowles expected to make a decision before the summer as per his wishes.

George Russell should expect to have an Italian rookie as a teammate next year.

“There’s a lot of talk about leadership because Lewis is leaving. But in the way I see the race and my driving, this is my best season in terms of speed.”

“I’m not going to change anything next year. I will build on what I’ve done this year. Lewis and I have the same influence within the team. We command the same level of respect from the entire team.”

“Now that he’s leaving, I hope my future teammate will have the same impact as me. We are fortunate to be two drivers in the same car and we need all the information from each other. Whether he’s a rookie or not, the team must always come first.”

“It’s the team that gives you the opportunity.”