F1 News
Villeneuve rips frontrunner team's risky plans apart
Entering the 2025 season, a great change awaits Mercedes in Formula 1. After more than a decade, Lewis Hamilton has left the German, and will be replaced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Former champion Jacques Villeneuve thinks taking this risk might have been too much on many levels.
During the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, it was announced that Mercedes had chosen to appoint youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement for the 2025 season. That came after a rather unconvincing Formula 2 campaign by the Italian according to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who saw many question marks in terms of how he could push the car to the limit or how he could develop their car.
"How will the balance be between him and Russell? Will they work hand in hand with similar driving styles or completely opposite driving styles which then makes it difficult for the team to evolve the car in direction that pleases both drivers," the Canadian told a betting site. "The jury is out on Antonelli but so many people in the media want him to be amazing. I hope he is because if not, it will be a very heavy load to carry for him."
Wolff 'wants to make this happen'
While there were multiple candidates including Carlos Sainz on the free agent market the previous season, Toto Wolff opted to give a chance to their junior driver instead. "It’s more they’ve decided what the outcome should be so they will try to make sure that this outcome happens. It’s like a father and son relationship. That kind of builds up a little bit. And if that happens then the thought process is a little bit skewered."
In the past, no Mercedes talent was given a chance to immediately compete for the factory team. For example, George Russell spent multiple seasons at Williams. Villeneuve continued: "It’s hard to come to the point where you think 'oh maybe he’s not good enough. No, hold on. We’ve invested so much into this that he will be good'."
"There’s a little bit of that in the process. And he has everything in his hands to prove that he’s good. Out of all those years, he’s had one average season, which was Formula 2, which was last year. So let’s hope that that was the odd season."
Bottas also criticised
After many rumours that Valtteri Bottas will remain at Sauber, the team that will be Audi from next season onwards, opted to sign F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto instead. The Finn then became Mercedes' 'Third Driver' for 2025, returning to the team after spending five seasons with them from 2017 until 2021.
When asked about whether he would be Wolff's backup plan, Villeneuve did not mince his words about the 10-time Grand Prix winner. "Is Bottas really better [than Antonelli]? It doesn’t matter if he has more experience if you look at the last season. If you’re not quick, you’re not quick," he gave his verdict.
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