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Mercedes' new dynamic: How will Russell and Antonelli fare?
- Ludo van Denderen
An interesting switch now awaits Mercedes. The team is no longer in the spotlight every day, as the most famous Formula 1 driver on the grid - Lewis Hamilton - will now join Ferrari. Undoubtedly, this creates a new dynamic within the team, where George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have to find their place, as they have to perform in the meantime. How will they cope this challenge?
Ahead of the final year with the current regulations, Mercedes could get closer and closer to the head of the field, with 2024 resulting in four Grands Prix victories. Nobody will therefore rule out that team principal and CEO Toto Wolff's team can compete against McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull in 2025. At least the power unit is not the questionable part, as a Mercedes engine powered the constructors' champion's car in 2024.
New roles for Russell and Antonelli
At the same time, there are all sorts of factors that are going to have an impact on the result, more so than at, say, McLaren or Red Bull. Although George Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in the championship in '24, he is expected to be the real team leader in '25. The man who is looked up to, the man who should beat his young, talented teammate every week, the man who can compete for wins and perhaps the title? It's going to create a different kind of pressure for Russell, who also wants to earn a new contract. Can Russell deal with the change in expectations?
Then there is Kimi Antonelli, the eighteen-year-old super-talent, of whom much is expected - not least by Mercedes themselves. Perhaps too much is expected of the Italian? Every rookie makes mistakes, that's part of the learning process. But Antonelli does drive for Mercedes, one of the leading teams in Formula 1. With every crash or crazy moment there are going to be questions about whether the Italian was given the opportunity too early. Not everyone is so firmly placed to deal with that. It is up to Wolff to shield Antonelli from possible negativity as much as possible and continue to give him confidence.
Mercedes' view of 2026?
Finally, 2025 is something of a transitional season, although no one will say that out loud. A major regulation change is scheduled for 2026, and Mercedes want to be on top of things in terms of design and with the power unit at all costs. Part of the team will focus on developing the '26 car from 1 January.
Depending on the success and potential at the start of the season of the '25 car, it will be decided how many people will have the focus on the coming and following season. Is Mercedes betting fully on winning in '25 or will it be a year that will matter less so they could be ready for the following season? Of course, the latter would also affect Russell and Antonelli's ceiling of what is achievable on track.
Toto Wolff told GPblog among others in Abu Dhabi about the next season: "I think there are two ways to look at it. Obviously, 2025, same regulations. You can see that the pecking order varies depending on the track and I think the opportunity’s there to fight for victories and if you can do that, you can fight for the championship."
"It's going to be a year where George will settle in as the leading and senior driver," the Austrian said of Russell, before indicating that a season of trial and error awaits Antonelli. "But it's also a year of managing expectations for Kimi and preparing our driver lineup for 2026."
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