F1 News
Wolff says this F2 driver will be in Formula 1 one day
Kimi Antonelli has certainly become a contender to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025. He has also been linked to Williams. Nevertheless, Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, has outlined exactly what he needs to do to secure a F1 seat in the future.
Speaking in the paddock on Sunday at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Wolff was asked about Antonelli's performance. The 17-year-old, who currently races in F2, finished fourth in Sunday's race. Commenting on his progress, Wolff said: "We are hyping that young man for a long time now, and he will be a very good driver one day in Formula One, but he's 17, 14 months ago he drove an F4 car."
"We are a little bit guilty also about talking about him at that stage. And I think we should let him do his F2 thing and deliver results and not be too carried away with what could be or should be."
'Look at George'
Wolff then went on to make the comparison between the Italian and Mercedes' driver George Russell: "Look at George. He's won F3 and F2 in his rookie year. And at the same time, Kimi has delivered on those junior series, and he's in F2 now."
Russell made his F2 debut in 2018, and was also confirmed as the Mercedes reserve driver in the same year. He took his first victory in Baku after starting 12th on the grid. During his season he battled against fellow British driver Lando Norris. However, it was Russell who ultimately won the season. As a result, he became the fifth rookie driver to win F2, and the fourth rookie driver to consecutively win F3 and F2, just like his current team mate Hamilton.
After winning F2, Russell made the move to F1 in 2019 when he joined Williams. Hence, Wolff believes there is no need to put pressure on Antonelli just yet: "He's going to be in Formula One one day, but let's not rush it."