Mercedes Confirms Antonelli with Russell for 2025

Mercedes F1 has officially confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli will join George Russell for the 2025 racing season.

It’s Official: As Expected, George Russell to Partner with 18-Year-Old Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025, as Mercedes F1 Unveils New Driver Line-Up

Antonelli, coming from FIA F2, is a graduate of the team’s junior programme, just like Russell before him.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, remarked, “Our 2025 driver lineup blends experience, talent, youth, and sheer speed. We are thrilled with what George and Kimi bring to the team, both as individual drivers and as a partnership. Our new team is perfectly poised to embark on the next chapter of our story. It also demonstrates the strength of our junior programme and our commitment to nurturing home-grown talent.”

“George has proven he is one of the finest drivers in the world. He is not only quick, consistent, and determined, but he has also emerged as a strong leader within the team. Kimi has consistently demonstrated the talent and speed necessary to compete at the highest levels of our sport. We know this will be a significant step up, but he has impressed us during his F1 tests this year, and we will support him at every step of his learning curve. With George, he has an experienced teammate from whom he can learn and refine his craft. I am confident both will make substantial contributions to our team dynamics and our front-line competitiveness.”

Russell joined the team’s junior programme in 2017 and swiftly climbed the single-seater ranks to F1, clinching both the GP3 and F2 championships in his debut season. After three years with Williams—including a standout substitute appearance for Mercedes in Bahrain in 2020—he was promoted to partner Lewis Hamilton in 2022. He claimed his first F1 victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil and his second in Austria this year.

“I am truly excited to be partnering with Kimi for 2025. His track record in junior formula is impressive, and his promotion is well-deserved. He is a fantastic young talent from our junior ranks. I look forward to using the experience I’ve gathered from my own journey to guide Kimi in his transition to F1. I know how much Lewis has supported me throughout my junior driving days and since becoming his teammate. I’ve learned a great deal from him and hope to play a similar role for Kimi.”

“As a team, we are building positive momentum as we approach next year. We continue to make strides on the track and are working diligently to assemble all the necessary components to compete for world championships. It’s a truly exciting journey we are embarking on; I am convinced that Kimi and I can keep moving the team forward and help fulfil our commitments.”

Antonelli himself has experienced a meteoric rise through the lower ranks of motorsport, joining the team’s junior programme at the age of 12 in 2019. After achieving success in karting, including in the FIA European Karting Championship and the WSK Euro Series, he progressed to single-seaters. He clinched the ADAC and Italian Formula 4 titles in 2022, before securing the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship.

Antonelli stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 for 2024. So far this season, he has secured two victories, including an impressive win in the feature race at Budapest.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be announced as a Mercedes factory driver alongside George for 2025. Reaching F1 has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy; I wish to thank the team for the support they have provided throughout my career so far and for the trust they have shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready to seize this opportunity. I will focus on my improvement and on delivering the best possible results for the team.”

“I am also extremely pleased to become George’s teammate. He progressed through the team’s junior programme just as I did and he is someone I hold in immense respect. He is ultra-fast, has won several Grands Prix, and has already helped me to improve as a driver. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to succeed on the track.”

Markus Schäfer, Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Mercedes-Benz, concluded: “This is an exhilarating time for the team as we unveil our driver line-up for 2025. We are opening the next chapter of our story next year and we have a fantastic partnership to do it.”

“George, as a multiple Grand Prix winner, has become a top-level driver. It has been a pleasure to watch him climb the ranks of the team’s junior programme, establish himself in F1 over the past few years, and become a leader within the team.”

“Kimi, like George and Lewis, is one of our talents with a very promising future. His record at the junior level is incredibly impressive and his sheer speed is evident. I am eager to see him in a race seat next year and watch his superb talent shine in a Mercedes F1.”