Kimi Antonelli is to become the first rookie Mercedes driver since 1954 when he takes part in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Not since Karl Kling, on Mercedes' own debut in F1 at the 1954 French GP, has a rookie driver driven for the Silver Arrows, but needing a Lewis Hamilton-shaped replacement, Toto Wolff plumped for 18-year-old Antonelli.
A former karting prodigy in the Nico Rosberg school no less, Antonelli has been dubbed by some as 'the new Max Verstappen', with Wolff keen not to lose out on the Italian after missing out on Verstappen in 2014.
Antonelli is to be partnered with George Russell, now a three-time grand prix winner, who himself faces a new challenge in 2025: being a team leader.
Russell steps up to replace Hamilton as the senior driver, with his technical feedback going to be key for the team, especially as Antonelli gets up to speed and gains experience.
As part of a series, RacingNews365 asked readers which team-mates they believe would come out on top in the intra-team battles of 2025.
In delivering their verdict on Russell vs Antonelli, F1 fans have given a resounding answer.
The article continues below the table.
Which Mercedes F1 driver will score the most points?
| Driver | Result |
|---|---|
| George Russell | 82.33% |
| Kimi Antonelli | 17.67% |
Analysis
Antonelli has been busy pounding around in old Mercedes F1 cars, earning valuable testing miles in ground-effect machinery as part of the TPC programme.
When he first got his hands on a contemporary machine, at the 2024 Italian GP, deputising for Russell in FP1, his speed was astonishing.
But his ambition was well ahead of the adhesion of his tyres as he spun off into the barrier at Parabolica, leaving the W15, in Wolff's words, looking like a box of Lego.
However, Wolff defended his new driver, who was announced as Hamilton's replacement the next day.
The crux of Wolff's argument was that it is much easier to slow a fast driver down as opposed to getting a slow one to speed up.
Antonelli's rookie season does get off to a tough start, as he has never driven at Shanghai, Suzuka or Miami with China and Miami also being sprint races in his first six weekends.
However, Wolff believes Antonelli is the real deal, and opted for the inexperience as opposed to the race-winning nous of Carlos Sainz or even Valterri Bottas, who, as reserve driver, will be acting as a mentor to Antonelli.
As for Russell, he needs to assert himself and make himself indispensable as the threat of Max Verstappen potentially joining in 2026 looms large over both the Briton and the next teenage prodigy.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they discuss Lewis Hamilton's next two big Ferrari tests and reflect on last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours. Max Verstappen was a big talking point in Daytona, with multiple drivers calling for him to enter.
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