George is experienced enough to carry the team and is showing it was a mistake to keep a young talent on the sideline to protect Hamilton. Meanwhile Ferrari, McLaren and Redbull capitalised on their young talents.
If he is world champion material he will overcome it. These bastards are paid the big bucks for a reason. It's not meant to be easy. Pressure is part of the game.
He's going to be driving a lethal weapon against grown men who want to take his lunch money. And by all acounts is doing a pretty damn good job at it so far. But yeah, a couple media reports are gonna break him.
It's just ridiculous these days. Completely unproven kids being hyped up as the second coming of Christ, again and again. De Vries (not letting you forget about that one), Bearman, and now Antonelli. Bearman's race was okay/mid and yet people act like he won the race. Meanwhile De Vries also impressed just the year before that, and look what happened. And why this obsession with Antonelli? He's not anywhere near the lead of the F2 championship
If you've seen what Kimi won in his time before F2 and how he won everything, he definitely is something special. Don't rate him as high as I did Verstappen before his F1 debut, but it's a similar impressive junior career. He should stay in F2 for another year though, we all saw how rough a diamond Verstappen was in his first year, Kimi will be rougher and risk his career if he goes too early. I totally agree though on your point of hyping up young drivers just because they managed to finish 7th in a Ferrari at debut and then to compare it with de Vries who finished 8th in a Williams.
Putting a rookie in an inconsistent, unpredictable car is bad for both of them. The car makes the driver look bad and the driver has no point of reference to help the engineers. If the car was sorted this would be a different conversation.
This is the biggest issue. Merc has shown little ability to build a winning chassis. If the car was slow due to the powertrain, that is less of an issue for the driver to sort out. But an inconsistent chassis and a driver without a baseline could be tough.
Don’t forget Tsunoda also had a great F1 debut but they don’t hype him like they do with Bearman on his debut. They only refer and mention Tsunoda as Honda’s pau driver. What is the difference with Bearman-he would be a Ferrari backed driver and Antonelli is Mercedes’s driver. Yet no one labels them as pay drivers. .
I’m just annoyed at Prema dropping the ball and ruining what could’ve been a landmark F2 season if Antonelli and Bearman were in a title fight in a rivalry that’d carry into F1
I don’t get why people blame prema so much, yeah they have made mistakes but in the end it’s a spec series, the results are also very driver dependent, kimi has been taking some time to adapt but bearman? He got too distracted with his f1 debut so much that he is not bringing strong results in f2 no more and I don’t think it’s because of prema’s fault
@@PVF-05bruh in the previous F2 era if you weren’t in a driver academy backed team like PREMA or ART, you might as well forget about fighting for championship
@@kenchen704 yes but it also depended on the drivers, I don’t think they are as strong as previous years or the overall grid is more balanced ablilty wise
@@PVF-05 it may be a spec series, but there is a LOT of customization available on the setup of the cars. Prema has admitted that they botched the setup of the cars multiple times this season while other teams were absolutely nailing it. It's just easier to blame the drivers though I guess?
Putting him in a merc will be exactly like albon at redbull... Too much, too soon. Even Max wasn't given a redbull right away. Kimi needs to go to Williams to not crumble under the pressure.
100% agree. For Kimi himself though, I still think that an extra year F2 is probably the best thing. He's got plenty of time and with a second year of F2, better options might be available than Williams or a struggling Mercedes.
To be fair, it's not the media that are fast tracking him to F2, sticking him in Mercedes F1 cars for tests with less than half a season of that done, trying to beg the FIA for a super license exemption or seemingly trying to get him a seat at Williams this year to assess and potentially take the seat vacated by a seven times world champion at a team that should realistically be looking at competing to win. There comes a point where the media 'hype' is just them reporting on what Mercedes are doing.
He should at least do one season in F2 at least to have some more experience in wheel to wheel combat and have better spatial awareness than the window licker
My main concern is not Antonelli's lack of experience because Verstappen's case has proven that it can work in the long run. My main concern is the lack of patience by Mercedes. It looks like they are already giving up on Russell despite the fact that so far he has only driven cars that were not good enough to compete for the championship. I don't wanna see Antonelli debut in 2025 if Mercedes would sack him within 2-3 years if he wouldn't deliver
Mercedes has shown that it won't just keep a driver for the short term the way other teams have done. They've had 5 drivers in their cars since they restarted F1 compared to other teams that have about double that in the same time.
I haven’t noticed them giving up on George Russell. His position seems pretty solid to me. And it’s patently obvious to everyone that the Merc problem is the car, not the drivers. They have the best overall driver lineup in F1 imho. George is excellent, and Lewis is, well, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Interestingly enough that wasn't Mercedes choice. Yes they loaned out Russell to Williams, but then spent the next two years trying to get him back as quickly as possible (this is why Bottas was always on a one year deal and was always announced after Williams would confirm Russell staying).
@@sirstabbyfork9675 Actually no, he signed a two year deal with an option for a third and Williams held him to his contract much to the annoyance of Mercedes and is the reason why Williams haven't taken on any more Mercedes drivers since then
@@MrSniperfox29 Thats not true. Bottas got extended because Lewis and Merc were happy with him and didn't want to mess up something that was working. They could have taken Russell pretty much anytime they liked.
@@GamerFlair Nope it's perfectly true Which is why Bottas was always (and I do mean always) given a new contract right after Williams announced Russell as staying. Williams had an IRON CLAD contract which greatly upset Lord Tonto and why Williams haven't dealt with Mercedes since.
Too much hype? Hype over what??! He's 17. He's been a mediocrity in F2 thus far. Putting him in an F1 car in the next year or two would be a giant mistake. With the cost cap in place, teams can't afford another "Crashstappen" period for young drivers.
I've got the feeling this whole hype is more about Toto than Kimi. Toto missed out on Verstappen, saw what happened with Piastri. As his manager, he just can't allow somebody else to walk away with Kimi, his pride wouldn't allow that. Inadvertently though, by creating the hype, he puts an extra spotlight on Kimi, almost forcing himself to get Kimi in F1 next year, because somebody else might pick him up if he doesn't.
It would be a reckless decision if Toto really brings this kid on board. Russell is not even a mentor-level driver right now, despite the appeal of being the lead and getting a bigger pay which he obviously is excited for if Max doesn't move in.
Russel is definitely good enough to mentor, he’s not his engineer all he’s gonna do is teach antonelli how to comb over data and give feedback and a few tricks about the car. Antonelli has plenty of mentors anyways
The argument they made for Antonelli not doing great in F2 could be made for any driver in that series that doesn't do well. Antonelli isn't even Mercedes best junior driver, that accolade goes to Vesti who was absolutely cooking last year. The fact he has just been forgotten about is ridiculous.
If F2 isn't how you judge a driver, the what the hell is the point of it? Thats supposed to be the last step before F1. So if its not telling you how good a driver you would be in F1, doesn't that mean the whole series is missing the point?
@@craig3895 what if some other dude from F2 would be faster in the F1 tests, but he just doesn't get the chance? How do you compare them if not by F2 results?
@@georgthesecond that's a naive view based on a false equivalency. Comparing a 17 year old just arriving in F2 with no F3 experience to, for example, a 22 year old in his 3rd F2 season after 2 years in F3 on raw unadjusted pace is false and you know better.
1. Verstappen 2. Ever heard of the phrase "potential"? A 27 yrs old standing 6th will never make it to F1, but a 17 standing 6th in his first season, after skipping F3 altogether is a different story
Because he is the top Mercedes sponsored driver, hence why they only care about him Maloney - Red Bull Aron - Unaffiliated Hadjar - Red Bull Hauger - Red Bull Bortoleto - McLaren So with the best will in the world, the only driver available there would be Aron
They've absolutely gone too far with the hype. If he joins F1 and can't live up to expectations, which would be totally understandable especially considering his age, it'll 100% be Toto Wolff's fault.
Putting him straight in this team is only going to end badly, especially with the pressure they are putting on him like its insane. Put him in a lower positioned team's car for example, for a couple years and see if he can handle that first then put him in Mercedes, otherwise he'll sink before he's even had a chance to start swimming.
@@MrSniperfox29 never said they would agree to that, but I'm speaking from someone on the outside looking inward. The consensus from most is that putting him instantly in that Mercedes will pile too much pressure on him, with a decent chance that he is unable to deliver on the hype that Mercedes is endlessly putting on him
@@MrSniperfox29They already have Albon as the fast, experienced team leader and he is amazing at providing feedback and input on both the car and driving technique so he'd be perfect to guide Antonelli through his own development while not being in a high pressure environment.
@@ethanpratt330 Williams have made it clear they are not interested in being Mercedes farm team anymore after how badly Mercedes treated them over Russell. This is why The Mick never got a look in with them despite Toto hailing him as the next coming of the Michael until Kimi came along and Toto suddenly went silent.
If Antonelli is Mercedes's future then they can ruin him if they put him in 2025 in their own car. Merc ended 2023 in P2 in the WCC and look to be in a downwards spiral in P4. Merc need to start the 2026 regs in the strongest possible way and give Kimi time to grow at Williams imo.
Carlos is their best option right but he wants a multi-year deal, which they don't want to give out. That is why Carlos' coveting Checo's RB seat, best car and possibility or a multi-year contract.
Antonelli is not Max! He isn’t exactly leading the way in F2 this his first season. Wolff is so scarred by not signing Max when he had the chance it is eating him away. What is the point of the much lauded Schumacher being the reserve driver if he isn’t even considered for a drive? Toto is single handedly bringing down Mercedes F1 by his totally irrational moves he makes. Max was storming F2 when he was in it and it was obvious to everyone that was a bit special and, that really eats away at Wolff. People would think better of him if he just publically admitted he made a major error by not signing him. But he will never do that. Antonelli doesn’t compare apart from being a similar age. Mercedes should be barred by FIA and F1 from “placing” any driver at Williams purely for all the crap Wolff has created about Red Bull running two teams. We all know Williams is the Mercedes puppet and it needs shutting down now. Schumacher has shown he is really quite good at WEC and maybe that is where he should concentrate his career. Russell was supposed to be the new messiah as he did well at Williams, but, not exactly setting the world on fire at Mercedes is he? Like Hamilton he is forever on the radio complaining about everything, car, other drivers, track etc. Don’t forget Wolff is dead against Andretti entering because Mercedes will lose money. That tells you the future isn’t looking too good at Brackley because, if they were going to be a dominant team again it wouldn’t matter if another 20 teams joined as the winner gets the big money. Pat Symonds has joined Andretti F1 from F1, the very company that supposedly has said no to Andretti. He wouldn’t do that for no reason would he? The rights holder or, owner, made the major mistake of being an American company that by US law is required to embrace competition and has failed to do so. That means basically F1 agrees to Andretti joining or the company gets either shut down or prosecuted for not following the US law plus, Christian Horner has said the new Concorde agreement should be left the same as it is now. As in, 12 teams can compete!
All I can deduce from Mercedes hype on Antonelli is that he will make a great tester and simulator driver. Didn't Buemi bang out Max's car overnight at Imola, doubt he could drive like Max though. Mercedes also needs to be careful about 2026, especially with Andy Cowell who was behind Mercedes powertrains gone!
@@GamerFlairSargeant was rushed. That’s a known fact. He was originally planned to do a second year in F2 (where he was very good) but Williams threw him into the F1 seat instead to get adjusted to that. Unfortunately he just succumbed to the non-existent pressure.
@@TheFatSandwhich He is also just not very good. He didn't win any of the single seater categories he entered, despite having 3 years in F3. His 4th place in F2 was earned by consistancy rather then pace, which, whilst is a skill in itself, you can teach a fast and inconsistant driver how to be consistant, a slow driver will always be slow. I won't argue that he was not promoted ahead of schedule, because your right, he was, he should not have been promoted. But utlimately, Williams wanted thier American, Williams driver, and the odds are that if he did another season in F2, it would have been impossible to plausably promote him when he finished probably even worse then the year before, as the faster rookies from that year gained the consistancy they had been lacking the year before. But yeah, Logan is shit because his shit. Him being promoted to early isn't really much to do with it. He probably could be better, but he was never going to be anything more then a mid pack second driver at best.
This guy may have been a hotshot in all those categories in the past. But the fact is, in F2 he is still an underachiever up until now. I don't think he is ready for F2 let alone F1. So, if he does come into F1 way too soon and is underachieving there, his reputation will sink fast. And especially in F1, you are only as good as your most recent results are showing.
You're right. They've completely ignored their car and are ONLY focused on Antonelli. Like their staff of thousands cannot possibly divide their attention. That would be madness. Great take.
Russell and this kid together next year would be one of the worst pairings on the grid. The former has flattered to deceive and has a lot of maturing to do and then to pair with a complete rookie. Stuttgart HQ would have their heads.
Russell is definitely excited to be lead and getting a bigger pay next season if Max doesn't get signed in. Still, two drivers wet behind the ears would be the funniest thing on the grid next season
The problem with this, is exactly the same as Merc's problem since the start of 2022... Too much noise in the media, Lewis and especially Toto have been their own worst enemies in the media in terms of progress, problems etc. and Kimi has been caught up in this too. It would be better if they just shut their mouths and got on with it, in all areas.
Oh come on now, you guys are pretty heavily at fault for this too! I've known from the beginning that the Antonelli hype train was crazy talk. Stuff the private tests, you only have to look at the F2 results. It's plainly obvious that if Toto fast-tracks him into F1 before he's ready, he's gonna kill the kid's career. It took a while for him to seem to accept that, but you guys on the media side of things were just as bad about giving into vague rumors and acting like he's a confirmed shoe-in for the '25 Merc seat as if he's already won the F2 championship. Shame on you.
You are talking about the wrong driver here. Bearman is the one being super hyped and being exposed. Kimi is doing well so far. He's the youngest, most inexperienced driver in F2 this season and he's 6th. Mercs in 25 will most likely be fighting for P6-5 maybe a P4 at most. They are alone as AM is far behind and Ferrari/Mclaren/RB far ahead. Perfect for a rookie. Now Ollie Bearman is 20th, last race he lost the engine in a pit stop. TWICE. I'm shocked as i thought Bearman was going to fight for the title. And they want him at Haas ? With Zhou as a teammate ? That will be sooo nice :D
They‘ve got Schumacher as their backup driver, they could put him in the second seat next season and give Antonelli another year of F2 because he‘s not really lighting it up there yet.
MB hasn’t made any of the right choices since it’s been on the back foot. They are trying too hard to think outside the box instead of getting back to the basics and thinking about how to fix its current problems instead of thinking 5 years down the road. Having the future best driver doesn’t matter if your car is fighting for the best of the rest….
Toto needs to put something in the table because he lost his star, and the car is not performing at all, I think the case of Antonelli is more a Marketing strategy than other thing
So not only do you admit to starting baseless rumors about this driver you are actually proud of the fact that "we were the first to ask" 0:57 ... completely unprompted. So now we know, it's not Mercedes that is putting too much pressure on this kid, it's the media. Specifically The Race. Got it.
They've had experienced drivers for the past 3 years and they are only slipping backwards, driver feedback doesn't matter when the car just doesn't have enough grip.
It does a driver the world of good to be fighting in the midfield or towards the rear for a season or two. Not only does it put less pressure to perform on them, but it gives them a respect for other drivers in similar positions later in their careers. Having said that, the midfield is around where Mercedes are themselves at the moment so it probably doesn't matter for Antonelli to be dropped in there.
The big fish Mercedes is trying to catch is Verstappen. It will not happen in 2025 for obvious reasons. But everything is open for 2026. Putting Antonelli in the seat in 2025 would mean that Mercedes has lost any hope of signing Verstappen at least until 2029. I see only one driver who would accept a one year Mercedes contract for 2025: it is Bottas who is approaching the end of his career. Certainly not Sainz or Ocon. If Mercedes picks Bottas instead of Antonelli, we will all know that Verstappen is moving to Mercedes in 2026.
If you only care about winning titles, and you do not believe you can win one next year - then what’s the harm in breaking in a rookie when it won’t be able to cost you a title win (as it could have with Russell)
I think the guys at the race are off-logic again A very young man, no real achievements, current f2 performance not well, and still talking about him being the next max is really rediculous
Kimi should be given one more year in F2 at least. As much as there are a lot of seats in F1 for 2025, most of them are going to be filled by existing drivers anyway. And as it is now it doesn't look like he's being linked to other teams, and it's unlikely Red Bull are looking for new drivers. So Mercedes can afford to keep him in F2 for another year before promoting. The question would be which driver would be willing to join Mercedes for a short term contract that would last just 1 year at least and maybe 2 or 3 at best.
i am worried about bearman though. ever since that jeddah weekend he's found it difficult. in imola, he was leading the feature but he stalled twice in the pits losing him the slam dunk win he had. I hope he recovers soon as he's shown in his talent but if he finishes bad in F2, behind Antonelli that will not be a good look.
I don't think the MB pressure is going to be there in 2025 that would make things tough for Antonelli. Afterall, once HAM is at Ferrari the majority of the F1 press (who obsess on HAM) will be giving their attention to Ferrari and only mentioning MB when something remarkable happens.
I would make sure that the car was driveable before sticking any rookie in it. Kimi would be better off staying in F2 for another year with a hopefully better Prema.
If he’s as good as they think he is, he’ll succeed despite the pressure. And if he doesn’t succeed despite the pressure then he isn’t as good as they thought he was and they’ll move on. It’s harsh but gets you an answer quickly. What did Russell really gain from those 3 years at Williams? Isn’t Piastri doing well at McLaren already? The Mercedes seat isn’t as good as it once was either
Why bother worrying now. The kid has only had 4 weekends racing a car with actual down force. Lets come back at seasons end and see where we stand(which i think is mercs position on it), instead of pointlessly speculating about nothing
I think it comes down to where the car itself ends the year. If they're continuing to have to scrap and fight to ensure they stay in the points and ideally get 6th-8th, then Antonelli could put them at risk of finishing 5th in the championship next year, which they would consider a huge failure (to be frank they'll probably consider finishing a likely 4th this year a huge failure).
With Williams and Haas the only 2 independent teams left, works teams will have to throw their rookies in at the deep end and I'm all for it. Granted you can't really test before a debut but Piastri and Lawson have also shown its not too much of an issue.
I think people are confused about the people overhyping him and saying whatever they want to about it. Kimi is currently 2 points behind the current f3 champion. For someone that completely skipped f3 that's pretty good. Kimi is having a really good season for an f2 rookie especially since prema keeps fucking things up every other race. He's getting along really well and deserves some hype but that never meant that he was going to immediately win f2 right out the gates. We're also only 4 races in. Once we're halfway through the season we'll really see how good kimi is.
Mercedes' biggest mistake in my opinion: Dropping Aron from their academy! 5 podium in 5 weekends, one in every weekend. Clean driving, solid head on his shoulders, great speed and nice overtakes. What else could you want from a driver? This makes him available to the market and puts so much more pressure on Antonelli who doesn't perform as good as Aron at the moment....
I can understand the argument Antonielli would be better at Williams for his sake, but the days of Big teams going to smaller teams to babysit their stars of tomorrow are starting to end. Every team maybe with the expection of Haas, VCARB and possibly Alpine have plans to win a world championship in 5 years and they do not want to develop a driver only for him to go a team that team hopes to be competing against in that time frame. Additionally to that, would Mecredes do they sign lets say Carlos Sainz or maybe Alex Albon, either one comes in and does a better job than Russell, it would be impossible to justify letting then go for still only a 19 year with a years experience in F1. As well as that Mercedes will know what Antonielli is capable of through simulator work and track days. I still think Antonielli is a good idea for Mercedes.
Toto seems so paranoid about missing out on a Verstappen level talent again. I've not seen Kimi in the regionals, maybe he is the real deal, hard to see where he's at with this Prema. But yeah, far too much expectation being put on him right now
Hamilton went straight into a frontrunning car at McLaren. Piastri is also handling a competitive McLaren very well in only his second year. If the kid has the goods, put him in the car. I don't think Mercedes will be expected to win next year, so he'll have the same breathing space Piastri had.
I think the risk with putting him into Williams is that it will be a minimum of two years and they may wait too long again like they did with Russel. I can honestly see Antonelli jumping ship if they put him in the Williams
I don't get the "don't judge an F2 rookie when it's a new car". It's a new car for everyone, that's the best way to compare how those young drivers adapt to the new machinery.
So people from The Race thinks tests (against nobody) with old machinery are better than an real RACE against another drivers on F2. Guys, please Piastri did a lot more racing in F2 than Antonelli. If F2 does not mean anything, shut down the championship and stop to spend a lot of money on it
Replace "Mercedes" here with "F1 media" and this is accurate. I may be missing something here, but I haven't really heard Mercedes themselves talking up Antonelli
Merc have to talk up because the car is such a dog. They are just mid table mediocrity now. Sainz and especially Verstapen would have a death wish on their careers to go there. Toto is deluded to think max would move there.
get albon in the merc for next season and put antonelli in at williams. its a win win. albon has great pace for williams and he can handle pressure. antonelli could use williams as a starting point and get used to f1 before moving onto mercedes.
Mercedes made a mistake hyping up their car for the past few years and now putting a young rising star in that car is a major gamble.
George is experienced enough to carry the team and is showing it was a mistake to keep a young talent on the sideline to protect Hamilton. Meanwhile Ferrari, McLaren and Redbull capitalised on their young talents.
They are putting too much pressure on Antonelli
Mercedes or the media and the fans ?
@@Karincl7 Everyone
If he is world champion material he will overcome it. These bastards are paid the big bucks for a reason. It's not meant to be easy. Pressure is part of the game.
@@Heyn_17 welcome to F1 it's sink or swim here as it's always been like that 👍
He's going to be driving a lethal weapon against grown men who want to take his lunch money. And by all acounts is doing a pretty damn good job at it so far. But yeah, a couple media reports are gonna break him.
It's just ridiculous these days. Completely unproven kids being hyped up as the second coming of Christ, again and again. De Vries (not letting you forget about that one), Bearman, and now Antonelli. Bearman's race was okay/mid and yet people act like he won the race. Meanwhile De Vries also impressed just the year before that, and look what happened. And why this obsession with Antonelli? He's not anywhere near the lead of the F2 championship
this
everyone hyped up mick schumacher too and he was pathetic
If you've seen what Kimi won in his time before F2 and how he won everything, he definitely is something special. Don't rate him as high as I did Verstappen before his F1 debut, but it's a similar impressive junior career. He should stay in F2 for another year though, we all saw how rough a diamond Verstappen was in his first year, Kimi will be rougher and risk his career if he goes too early.
I totally agree though on your point of hyping up young drivers just because they managed to finish 7th in a Ferrari at debut and then to compare it with de Vries who finished 8th in a Williams.
Putting a rookie in an inconsistent, unpredictable car is bad for both of them. The car makes the driver look bad and the driver has no point of reference to help the engineers. If the car was sorted this would be a different conversation.
true, but allegedly the W15 is a stable platform now.
This is the biggest issue. Merc has shown little ability to build a winning chassis. If the car was slow due to the powertrain, that is less of an issue for the driver to sort out. But an inconsistent chassis and a driver without a baseline could be tough.
I agree - oh wait we aren't talking about Sargeant, are we?
Don’t forget Tsunoda also had a great F1 debut but they don’t hype him like they do with Bearman on his debut. They only refer and mention Tsunoda as Honda’s pau driver. What is the difference with Bearman-he would be a Ferrari backed driver and Antonelli is Mercedes’s driver. Yet no one labels them as pay drivers. .
I’m just annoyed at Prema dropping the ball and ruining what could’ve been a landmark F2 season if Antonelli and Bearman were in a title fight in a rivalry that’d carry into F1
There’s still time,hopefully
I don’t get why people blame prema so much, yeah they have made mistakes but in the end it’s a spec series, the results are also very driver dependent, kimi has been taking some time to adapt but bearman? He got too distracted with his f1 debut so much that he is not bringing strong results in f2 no more and I don’t think it’s because of prema’s fault
@@PVF-05bruh in the previous F2 era if you weren’t in a driver academy backed team like PREMA or ART, you might as well forget about fighting for championship
@@kenchen704 yes but it also depended on the drivers, I don’t think they are as strong as previous years or the overall grid is more balanced ablilty wise
@@PVF-05 it may be a spec series, but there is a LOT of customization available on the setup of the cars. Prema has admitted that they botched the setup of the cars multiple times this season while other teams were absolutely nailing it. It's just easier to blame the drivers though I guess?
Mercedes? And overhype?! Perish the thought!
Putting him in a merc will be exactly like albon at redbull... Too much, too soon. Even Max wasn't given a redbull right away. Kimi needs to go to Williams to not crumble under the pressure.
100% agree. For Kimi himself though, I still think that an extra year F2 is probably the best thing. He's got plenty of time and with a second year of F2, better options might be available than Williams or a struggling Mercedes.
He needs the time to actually be in the top 3 of the F2 championship.
However Mercedes is well on their way to become a bottom team.
The way I see it the only people hyping up Antonelli are the likes of Autosport, Sky Sports and The Race...
And Toto.
Imagine that…
To be fair, it's not the media that are fast tracking him to F2, sticking him in Mercedes F1 cars for tests with less than half a season of that done, trying to beg the FIA for a super license exemption or seemingly trying to get him a seat at Williams this year to assess and potentially take the seat vacated by a seven times world champion at a team that should realistically be looking at competing to win. There comes a point where the media 'hype' is just them reporting on what Mercedes are doing.
Josh Revell...
maybe Toto and Kimi have a man boy relationship
He should at least do one season in F2 at least to have some more experience in wheel to wheel combat and have better spatial awareness than the window licker
Max was the best example. In the beginning he was so reckless in his driving given he basically skipped gp2
Haha
Windowlicker’s interview with Gary left me flabbergasted fr
@@chanahasnomana very true he made alot of "f2" era mistakes before learning that avoiding contact was a better strategy than just 50 50 ing it
He is.
My main concern is not Antonelli's lack of experience because Verstappen's case has proven that it can work in the long run. My main concern is the lack of patience by Mercedes. It looks like they are already giving up on Russell despite the fact that so far he has only driven cars that were not good enough to compete for the championship. I don't wanna see Antonelli debut in 2025 if Mercedes would sack him within 2-3 years if he wouldn't deliver
Mercedes has shown that it won't just keep a driver for the short term the way other teams have done. They've had 5 drivers in their cars since they restarted F1 compared to other teams that have about double that in the same time.
Even Verstappen was put in Alpha for a year for experience. Supposedly Kimi is going to a top team like Mercedes.
They should put Albon in the Benz and Kimi in the Williams...
I haven’t noticed them giving up on George Russell. His position seems pretty solid to me. And it’s patently obvious to everyone that the Merc problem is the car, not the drivers. They have the best overall driver lineup in F1 imho. George is excellent, and Lewis is, well, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
How are they giving up on George?
Mercedes always hypes up everything. Remember how they hyped up the safety issue of ground level clearance when their car was porpoising.
They're setting him up to sink or swim, they're not giving him the time Russell got to develop naturally
Interestingly enough that wasn't Mercedes choice. Yes they loaned out Russell to Williams, but then spent the next two years trying to get him back as quickly as possible (this is why Bottas was always on a one year deal and was always announced after Williams would confirm Russell staying).
@@MrSniperfox29 George had to sign that Williams contract to stay, if Mercedes offered him a seat he would've snapped it up immediately.
@@sirstabbyfork9675 Actually no, he signed a two year deal with an option for a third and Williams held him to his contract much to the annoyance of Mercedes and is the reason why Williams haven't taken on any more Mercedes drivers since then
@@MrSniperfox29 Thats not true. Bottas got extended because Lewis and Merc were happy with him and didn't want to mess up something that was working. They could have taken Russell pretty much anytime they liked.
@@GamerFlair Nope it's perfectly true
Which is why Bottas was always (and I do mean always) given a new contract right after Williams announced Russell as staying.
Williams had an IRON CLAD contract which greatly upset Lord Tonto and why Williams haven't dealt with Mercedes since.
Too much hype? Hype over what??! He's 17. He's been a mediocrity in F2 thus far. Putting him in an F1 car in the next year or two would be a giant mistake. With the cost cap in place, teams can't afford another "Crashstappen" period for young drivers.
It’s a gamble that will backfire
I've got the feeling this whole hype is more about Toto than Kimi. Toto missed out on Verstappen, saw what happened with Piastri. As his manager, he just can't allow somebody else to walk away with Kimi, his pride wouldn't allow that. Inadvertently though, by creating the hype, he puts an extra spotlight on Kimi, almost forcing himself to get Kimi in F1 next year, because somebody else might pick him up if he doesn't.
It would be a reckless decision if Toto really brings this kid on board. Russell is not even a mentor-level driver right now, despite the appeal of being the lead and getting a bigger pay which he obviously is excited for if Max doesn't move in.
Russel is definitely good enough to mentor, he’s not his engineer all he’s gonna do is teach antonelli how to comb over data and give feedback and a few tricks about the car. Antonelli has plenty of mentors anyways
The argument they made for Antonelli not doing great in F2 could be made for any driver in that series that doesn't do well. Antonelli isn't even Mercedes best junior driver, that accolade goes to Vesti who was absolutely cooking last year. The fact he has just been forgotten about is ridiculous.
"More like torro rosso" that one hurt 😭😭
Not even a minute in and they admit they stirred the pot. Media has pushed Toto to talk on this. These guys are shit heels
If F2 isn't how you judge a driver, the what the hell is the point of it? Thats supposed to be the last step before F1. So if its not telling you how good a driver you would be in F1, doesn't that mean the whole series is missing the point?
What they said? The testing they see where they put him side by side with an actual F1 driver. Seems that's pretty useful info to me.
@@craig3895 that's much more useful than F2 for sure apparently.
@@craig3895 what if some other dude from F2 would be faster in the F1 tests, but he just doesn't get the chance? How do you compare them if not by F2 results?
@@georgthesecond that's a naive view based on a false equivalency. Comparing a 17 year old just arriving in F2 with no F3 experience to, for example, a 22 year old in his 3rd F2 season after 2 years in F3 on raw unadjusted pace is false and you know better.
mbz needs to focus on performance first lol
He currently sits 6th in the F2 standigs, why does no one consider the drivers who are actually winning races and championships in F2?!
1. Verstappen
2. Ever heard of the phrase "potential"?
A 27 yrs old standing 6th will never make it to F1, but a 17 standing 6th in his first season, after skipping F3 altogether is a different story
Some of them are not rookies. In Antonelli's case, he won every championship he entered in his first year, skipped F3, and he is performing well in F2
Because he is the top Mercedes sponsored driver, hence why they only care about him
Maloney - Red Bull
Aron - Unaffiliated
Hadjar - Red Bull
Hauger - Red Bull
Bortoleto - McLaren
So with the best will in the world, the only driver available there would be Aron
Because they can only perform as good as their car allows them to. Bearman isn't doing great either and he's almost guaranteed a Haas seat.
money
what about frederik vesti? he was testing in abu dhabi last year and he nearly won f2 in 2023.
They're guilty of hyping up their dumpster fire of a car.
They've absolutely gone too far with the hype. If he joins F1 and can't live up to expectations, which would be totally understandable especially considering his age, it'll 100% be Toto Wolff's fault.
It's youtube that has gone too far with the hype. They're just developing their asset and answering questions.
It would be a disaster for Mercedes if they replace Hamilton with Antonelli for 2025.
Poor George, this kid is basically over shadowing him and he’s not even in the car yet damn 💀!
Putting him straight in this team is only going to end badly, especially with the pressure they are putting on him like its insane. Put him in a lower positioned team's car for example, for a couple years and see if he can handle that first then put him in Mercedes, otherwise he'll sink before he's even had a chance to start swimming.
What makes you think Williams would agree to that?
@@MrSniperfox29 never said they would agree to that, but I'm speaking from someone on the outside looking inward. The consensus from most is that putting him instantly in that Mercedes will pile too much pressure on him, with a decent chance that he is unable to deliver on the hype that Mercedes is endlessly putting on him
@@MrSniperfox29They already have Albon as the fast, experienced team leader and he is amazing at providing feedback and input on both the car and driving technique so he'd be perfect to guide Antonelli through his own development while not being in a high pressure environment.
@@ethanpratt330 Williams have made it clear they are not interested in being Mercedes farm team anymore after how badly Mercedes treated them over Russell.
This is why The Mick never got a look in with them despite Toto hailing him as the next coming of the Michael until Kimi came along and Toto suddenly went silent.
Well, Williams seems to be more interested in Bottas.
Wording is important.... "superstar young talent". You are a superstar or you are a young talent. This discussion is a hype in itself.
We heard that Ocon was going to be the second coming and now this kid.
If Antonelli is Mercedes's future then they can ruin him if they put him in 2025 in their own car. Merc ended 2023 in P2 in the WCC and look to be in a downwards spiral in P4. Merc need to start the 2026 regs in the strongest possible way and give Kimi time to grow at Williams imo.
Antonelli need time to adapt F2 first, and that's pretty much all. Mercedes can find one year contract with other driver.
Carlos is their best option right but he wants a multi-year deal, which they don't want to give out. That is why Carlos' coveting Checo's RB seat, best car and possibility or a multi-year contract.
Ocon would be perfect for one year!
Antonelli is not Max! He isn’t exactly leading the way in F2 this his first season.
Wolff is so scarred by not signing Max when he had the chance it is eating him away.
What is the point of the much lauded Schumacher being the reserve driver if he isn’t even considered for a drive?
Toto is single handedly bringing down Mercedes F1 by his totally irrational moves he makes.
Max was storming F2 when he was in it and it was obvious to everyone that was a bit special and, that really eats away at Wolff. People would think better of him if he just publically admitted he made a major error by not signing him. But he will never do that.
Antonelli doesn’t compare apart from being a similar age.
Mercedes should be barred by FIA and F1 from “placing” any driver at Williams purely for all the crap Wolff has created about Red Bull running two teams. We all know Williams is the Mercedes puppet and it needs shutting down now.
Schumacher has shown he is really quite good at WEC and maybe that is where he should concentrate his career.
Russell was supposed to be the new messiah as he did well at Williams, but, not exactly setting the world on fire at Mercedes is he? Like Hamilton he is forever on the radio complaining about everything, car, other drivers, track etc.
Don’t forget Wolff is dead against Andretti entering because Mercedes will lose money. That tells you the future isn’t looking too good at Brackley because, if they were going to be a dominant team again it wouldn’t matter if another 20 teams joined as the winner gets the big money.
Pat Symonds has joined Andretti F1 from F1, the very company that supposedly has said no to Andretti. He wouldn’t do that for no reason would he?
The rights holder or, owner, made the major mistake of being an American company that by US law is required to embrace competition and has failed to do so. That means basically F1 agrees to Andretti joining or the company gets either shut down or prosecuted for not following the US law plus, Christian Horner has said the new Concorde agreement should be left the same as it is now. As in, 12 teams can compete!
I’m still baffled how Fred Vesti never gets mentioned in this discussion
Why is anyone talking about Max going to merc lmao
He's staying at RB for a while yet. As soon as he thinks RB are not going any where he'll leave to where ever he wants.
@@v4skunk739 why would he throw a decently sure wdc next year aswell lel
@@eversor10 Can you even read?
Because they know mercedes is washed and needs a real talent behind the wheel. Max will run out his current contract and then leave F1.
@@v4skunk739 no
All I can deduce from Mercedes hype on Antonelli is that he will make a great tester and simulator driver. Didn't Buemi bang out Max's car overnight at Imola, doubt he could drive like Max though. Mercedes also needs to be careful about 2026, especially with Andy Cowell who was behind Mercedes powertrains gone!
Antonelli DEF needs te to develop. Rushing him could end up similarly to Sargeant.
Sargeant wasn't rushed, he was just shit.
@@GamerFlairSargeant was rushed. That’s a known fact. He was originally planned to do a second year in F2 (where he was very good) but Williams threw him into the F1 seat instead to get adjusted to that. Unfortunately he just succumbed to the non-existent pressure.
You're right, Sargaent's issue is he was promoted too quickly, not that he just doesn't have the pace. Good point. Thanks for the input.
@@craig3895 Vowles has literally expressed regret for rushing Sargeant into F1.
@@TheFatSandwhich He is also just not very good. He didn't win any of the single seater categories he entered, despite having 3 years in F3. His 4th place in F2 was earned by consistancy rather then pace, which, whilst is a skill in itself, you can teach a fast and inconsistant driver how to be consistant, a slow driver will always be slow.
I won't argue that he was not promoted ahead of schedule, because your right, he was, he should not have been promoted.
But utlimately, Williams wanted thier American, Williams driver, and the odds are that if he did another season in F2, it would have been impossible to plausably promote him when he finished probably even worse then the year before, as the faster rookies from that year gained the consistancy they had been lacking the year before.
But yeah, Logan is shit because his shit. Him being promoted to early isn't really much to do with it. He probably could be better, but he was never going to be anything more then a mid pack second driver at best.
This guy may have been a hotshot in all those categories in the past. But the fact is, in F2 he is still an underachiever up until now. I don't think he is ready for F2 let alone F1. So, if he does come into F1 way too soon and is underachieving there, his reputation will sink fast. And especially in F1, you are only as good as your most recent results are showing.
They have gone overboard hyping their cars up for last 3 yrs. Maybe they should be concentrating on that issue first
You're right. They've completely ignored their car and are ONLY focused on Antonelli. Like their staff of thousands cannot possibly divide their attention. That would be madness. Great take.
honestly he has not shown much pace in f2
Russell and this kid together next year would be one of the worst pairings on the grid. The former has flattered to deceive and has a lot of maturing to do and then to pair with a complete rookie. Stuttgart HQ would have their heads.
Russell eventually will be jettisoned once Verstappen becomes available.
Russell is definitely excited to be lead and getting a bigger pay next season if Max doesn't get signed in. Still, two drivers wet behind the ears would be the funniest thing on the grid next season
hope russell quits f1
The problem with this, is exactly the same as Merc's problem since the start of 2022...
Too much noise in the media, Lewis and especially Toto have been their own worst enemies in the media in terms of progress, problems etc. and Kimi has been caught up in this too.
It would be better if they just shut their mouths and got on with it, in all areas.
Oh come on now, you guys are pretty heavily at fault for this too! I've known from the beginning that the Antonelli hype train was crazy talk. Stuff the private tests, you only have to look at the F2 results. It's plainly obvious that if Toto fast-tracks him into F1 before he's ready, he's gonna kill the kid's career. It took a while for him to seem to accept that, but you guys on the media side of things were just as bad about giving into vague rumors and acting like he's a confirmed shoe-in for the '25 Merc seat as if he's already won the F2 championship. Shame on you.
exactly. The media is just as guilty as mercedes
You are talking about the wrong driver here. Bearman is the one being super hyped and being exposed.
Kimi is doing well so far. He's the youngest, most inexperienced driver in F2 this season and he's 6th.
Mercs in 25 will most likely be fighting for P6-5 maybe a P4 at most. They are alone as AM is far behind and Ferrari/Mclaren/RB far ahead. Perfect for a rookie.
Now Ollie Bearman is 20th, last race he lost the engine in a pit stop. TWICE. I'm shocked as i thought Bearman was going to fight for the title. And they want him at Haas ? With Zhou as a teammate ? That will be sooo nice :D
TBH that's not the only thing Mercedes are 'guilty' of in recent years.
They‘ve got Schumacher as their backup driver, they could put him in the second seat next season and give Antonelli another year of F2 because he‘s not really lighting it up there yet.
I don't think Mercedes want to waste millions rebuilding cars for a season 🤦🏻♂️
@@jamie199715 they're already wasting millions building bad cars every season.
First, Kimi Antonelli needs to reach the podium in F2...
MB hasn’t made any of the right choices since it’s been on the back foot. They are trying too hard to think outside the box instead of getting back to the basics and thinking about how to fix its current problems instead of thinking 5 years down the road. Having the future best driver doesn’t matter if your car is fighting for the best of the rest….
Best of the rest? I didn't realize being the 4th in wcc standings is the best of the rest...
yes.
Thankfully SMM starts talking with under two minutes into the video and unfailingly always gives me a good reason to exit
Toto needs to put something in the table because he lost his star, and the car is not performing at all, I think the case of Antonelli is more a Marketing strategy than other thing
That could backfire so bad…..really bad
Scott: It would be unprecedented!
Kimi Raikkonen: (inaudible)
He can’t even beat his peers in F2
I personally think Mick should take the seat over Antonelli
So not only do you admit to starting baseless rumors about this driver you are actually proud of the fact that "we were the first to ask" 0:57 ... completely unprompted. So now we know, it's not Mercedes that is putting too much pressure on this kid, it's the media. Specifically The Race. Got it.
Mercedes needs 2 experienced drivers to help fix their car development
Merc have wind tunnel problems.
Yeah? They have that currently and it isn't working.
They've had experienced drivers for the past 3 years and they are only slipping backwards, driver feedback doesn't matter when the car just doesn't have enough grip.
F2 is not the be all end all test for F1? Tell Indycar drivers that.
I recon a 2 - 3 year stint in a Williams would do him good. Give him time to work on his craft and gives Mercedes time to sort there car out
It does a driver the world of good to be fighting in the midfield or towards the rear for a season or two. Not only does it put less pressure to perform on them, but it gives them a respect for other drivers in similar positions later in their careers. Having said that, the midfield is around where Mercedes are themselves at the moment so it probably doesn't matter for Antonelli to be dropped in there.
The big fish Mercedes is trying to catch is Verstappen. It will not happen in 2025 for obvious reasons. But everything is open for 2026. Putting Antonelli in the seat in 2025 would mean that Mercedes has lost any hope of signing Verstappen at least until 2029. I see only one driver who would accept a one year Mercedes contract for 2025: it is Bottas who is approaching the end of his career. Certainly not Sainz or Ocon. If Mercedes picks Bottas instead of Antonelli, we will all know that Verstappen is moving to Mercedes in 2026.
I really love all your voices. They're very pleasant to listen to!
I'd be shocked if they put him in the car next season. And I don't think it would be good to do so. Williams, maybe.
If you only care about winning titles, and you do not believe you can win one next year - then what’s the harm in breaking in a rookie when it won’t be able to cost you a title win (as it could have with Russell)
I think the guys at the race are off-logic again
A very young man, no real achievements, current f2 performance not well, and still talking about him being the next max is really rediculous
Remember when they were hyping up Russell to be the next Hamilton…
Kimi should be given one more year in F2 at least. As much as there are a lot of seats in F1 for 2025, most of them are going to be filled by existing drivers anyway. And as it is now it doesn't look like he's being linked to other teams, and it's unlikely Red Bull are looking for new drivers. So Mercedes can afford to keep him in F2 for another year before promoting. The question would be which driver would be willing to join Mercedes for a short term contract that would last just 1 year at least and maybe 2 or 3 at best.
i am worried about bearman though. ever since that jeddah weekend he's found it difficult. in imola, he was leading the feature but he stalled twice in the pits losing him the slam dunk win he had. I hope he recovers soon as he's shown in his talent but if he finishes bad in F2, behind Antonelli that will not be a good look.
I don't think the MB pressure is going to be there in 2025 that would make things tough for Antonelli. Afterall, once HAM is at Ferrari the majority of the F1 press (who obsess on HAM) will be giving their attention to Ferrari and only mentioning MB when something remarkable happens.
@Scott take what F2 does as irrelevant? for kimi?
I’m just wondering, if Mercedes does confirm Kimi for 2025 and beyond, what happens to their previous ‘star driver’ George Russell?
I would make sure that the car was driveable before sticking any rookie in it. Kimi would be better off staying in F2 for another year with a hopefully better Prema.
If he’s as good as they think he is, he’ll succeed despite the pressure. And if he doesn’t succeed despite the pressure then he isn’t as good as they thought he was and they’ll move on. It’s harsh but gets you an answer quickly. What did Russell really gain from those 3 years at Williams? Isn’t Piastri doing well at McLaren already?
The Mercedes seat isn’t as good as it once was either
Why bother worrying now. The kid has only had 4 weekends racing a car with actual down force. Lets come back at seasons end and see where we stand(which i think is mercs position on it), instead of pointlessly speculating about nothing
I think it comes down to where the car itself ends the year. If they're continuing to have to scrap and fight to ensure they stay in the points and ideally get 6th-8th, then Antonelli could put them at risk of finishing 5th in the championship next year, which they would consider a huge failure (to be frank they'll probably consider finishing a likely 4th this year a huge failure).
Has The Race done an in-depth piece on Kimi A? It would be good to know about his racing history and why teams are eyeing him.
With Williams and Haas the only 2 independent teams left, works teams will have to throw their rookies in at the deep end and I'm all for it. Granted you can't really test before a debut but Piastri and Lawson have also shown its not too much of an issue.
I think people are confused about the people overhyping him and saying whatever they want to about it. Kimi is currently 2 points behind the current f3 champion. For someone that completely skipped f3 that's pretty good. Kimi is having a really good season for an f2 rookie especially since prema keeps fucking things up every other race. He's getting along really well and deserves some hype but that never meant that he was going to immediately win f2 right out the gates. We're also only 4 races in. Once we're halfway through the season we'll really see how good kimi is.
I think Charles Leclerc had a pretty picture-perfect progression through F2, Alfa, and Ferrari.
Oh i love that cricket reference!
Antonelli need to start in Williams for a couple of years should he succeed in F2.
Bottas going back to merc would be like when Norm Macdonald went back to SNL. One of the all time great monologues. 12:37
I've been saying from the start that Antonelli is overrated and overhyped. the kid is mid at best
Mercedes' biggest mistake in my opinion: Dropping Aron from their academy! 5 podium in 5 weekends, one in every weekend. Clean driving, solid head on his shoulders, great speed and nice overtakes. What else could you want from a driver? This makes him available to the market and puts so much more pressure on Antonelli who doesn't perform as good as Aron at the moment....
Guess his test alongside Russell wasn’t amazing.
I can understand the argument Antonielli would be better at Williams for his sake, but the days of Big teams going to smaller teams to babysit their stars of tomorrow are starting to end. Every team maybe with the expection of Haas, VCARB and possibly Alpine have plans to win a world championship in 5 years and they do not want to develop a driver only for him to go a team that team hopes to be competing against in that time frame. Additionally to that, would Mecredes do they sign lets say Carlos Sainz or maybe Alex Albon, either one comes in and does a better job than Russell, it would be impossible to justify letting then go for still only a 19 year with a years experience in F1. As well as that Mercedes will know what Antonielli is capable of through simulator work and track days. I still think Antonielli is a good idea for Mercedes.
Toto seems so paranoid about missing out on a Verstappen level talent again. I've not seen Kimi in the regionals, maybe he is the real deal, hard to see where he's at with this Prema. But yeah, far too much expectation being put on him right now
Imagine if Antonelli gets picked up by redbull from under mercs nose and put in a toro rosso
Hamilton went straight into a frontrunning car at McLaren. Piastri is also handling a competitive McLaren very well in only his second year.
If the kid has the goods, put him in the car. I don't think Mercedes will be expected to win next year, so he'll have the same breathing space Piastri had.
I think the risk with putting him into Williams is that it will be a minimum of two years and they may wait too long again like they did with Russel. I can honestly see Antonelli jumping ship if they put him in the Williams
I don't get the "don't judge an F2 rookie when it's a new car". It's a new car for everyone, that's the best way to compare how those young drivers adapt to the new machinery.
How much of the hype is coming from the media?
Desperately trying to fix the mistake by not signing Verstappen back in the day.
Gelul
So people from The Race thinks tests (against nobody) with old machinery are better than an real RACE against another drivers on F2. Guys, please Piastri did a lot more racing in F2 than Antonelli.
If F2 does not mean anything, shut down the championship and stop to spend a lot of money on it
I was here while the title was still wrong
They should have never given the large spotlight on Antonelli, thats so much pressure. Hope he proves me wrong tho
They are just trying to make their own Verstappen
Replace "Mercedes" here with "F1 media" and this is accurate.
I may be missing something here, but I haven't really heard Mercedes themselves talking up Antonelli
Merc have to talk up because the car is such a dog. They are just mid table mediocrity now. Sainz and especially Verstapen would have a death wish on their careers to go there. Toto is deluded to think max would move there.
get albon in the merc for next season and put antonelli in at williams. its a win win. albon has great pace for williams and he can handle pressure. antonelli could use williams as a starting point and get used to f1 before moving onto mercedes.
Why are you calling mercedes a front running team? They are head of mid pack at best.