Is Antonelli ready for Mercedes yet? 'In Mexico he was too slow'

"Kimi Antonelli has the ability and speed to compete at the top of the premier class of motorsport, there is no doubt about that," Montoya told Radio W. However, the former Formula 1 driver wonders whether the step is too big.

"Compared to other new regular drivers like [Oliver] Bearman, [Jack] Doohan or [Gabriel] Bortoleto, he drove a lot more laps - thanks to tests at lots of different circuits with older Mercedes cars. But at Monza, he came onto the track and immediately looked like he wanted to break the lap record. Then he wrecked the car." The talented driver crashed during FP1, causing considerable damage to George Russell's car.

Antonelli in Mexico

The six-time race winner saw a different Antonelli last month at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez: "In my opinion, he drove too carefully in Mexico not to make mistakes. In Monza there was criticism because he crashed, in Mexico he was too slow and of course that is not good either. You have to find the right balance and I see that as a problem."

In Mexico City, Antonelli finished 12th in the first free practice, where George Russell - his teammate next year - set the fastest time. The difference between the two drivers was just over a second.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton