Mercedes given Antonelli warning after 'too soon' F1 promotion

Andrea Kimi Antonelli should make his F1 debut elsewhere and not with Mercedes in 2025, reckons former team owner Eddie Jordan. 

The Italian was finally confirmed as Lewis Hamilton's replacement in an announcement made over the Italian GP weekend.

Antonelli has a stellar junior record, with titles in series such as Formula 4 and Formula Regional European, as well as two wins in his debut F2 season this year with the Prema squad. 

Minutes into his first FP1 session in F1 at Monza, however, Antonelli heavily crashed his W15, leaving it looking like a "Lego box" according to Toto Wolff, as the driver himself conceded he went beyond the limit. 

Although Antonelli has extensive experience in F1 machinery, such as the 2022 Mercedes as a result of his TPC (testing of previous cars) running, Jordan feels it is still too early for the 18-year-old to step up to a grand prix-winning team in his debut year.

"I thought the pressure of Mercedes would be too much for Kimi on his debut and his first run - it turned out that's the way it was," he explained on his Formula For Success podcast.

"I still believe there is a place for Kimi, but it is not at Mercedes.

"I don't care how quick he is, he should be placed somewhere that will give Toto and his team the chance to learn for a year [in another team] and then come up that way."

The Verstappen comparison

Co-host David Coulthard then pointed out the example of Max Verstappen as 17-year-old rookie at Toro Rosso in 2015 before his step up to Red Bull.

Jordan felt that route to the top of F1 is the ideal roadmap. 

"That is perfect and exactly what should happen with Max in Toro Rosso," he said. 

"Kimi Antonelli should be in at Williams, or somewhere where Toto can place him. It is what I've been saying for ages.

"Remember what Bernie Ecclestone always used to say: 'When you go looking for money, or you go looking for anything, earn the right'. That is what he used to say, 'Earn the right.'

"At the moment, I don't see how Antonelli has earned the right, not yet, and it doesn't give me a factor of total belief."