Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli decision questioned as crucial 'Red Bull' point raised

Martin Brundle has questioned why Mercedes did not afford Kimi Antonelli time with a "lesser" team early in his F1 career, as it did with George Russell.

However, the former F1 driver-turned commentator was quick to point out he is "effectively a protected species at the team and won't be living in fear of his career like a Red Bull youngster."

The 18-year-old is mired in a difficult run of form and is seemingly bereft of confidence. Following qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, where he was knocked out in Q1 - as he was in SQ1 the day prior - he took longer than usual to arrive for his media duties and appeared tearful and emotional when he did.

He finished the race at Spa-Francorchamps down in P16, meaning he has scored points in just one of the past seven grands prix after starting the season with five top 10s in the opening six rounds, as well as points in both sprints.

Despite his one points finish over that stretch being a maiden podium, at the Canadian Grand Prix, Antonelli has suffered his share of misfortune in that span.

Power unit-related retirements at Imola and in Spain were joined by collisions in Austria and at Silverstone, but only the first-lap crash with Max Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring can be classified as the Mercedes driver's fault.

However, his performance has dipped as well. The cause of the slump in form is widely seen as twofold, as not only has the W16 become more difficult to drive in recent rounds, but speculation regarding Verstappen has engulfed the Brackley-based squad, leaving the Italian under significant pressure.

"Kimi Antonelli is having a torrid time... He's only scored points once in the last seven GPs (a podium in Canada), and it's not too difficult to observe that he's really feeling that pressure on his very young shoulders," Brundle wrote in his column for Sky Sports F1.

Antonelli not 'living in fear of his career like a Red Bull youngster'

When the rumours linking Verstappen to Mercedes, from as early as 2026, first re-emerged - due to team-mate Russell - it looked as though the Briton was the driver at risk of being replaced.

Although as they developed, the suggestion that Antonelli could be shuffled out to a Mercedes customer further down the grid gained traction.

Williams and Alpine, the former of which will take power units from the eight-time constructors' champions from next season, could have been potential homes for the teenager, and whilst Verstappen will now remain at Red Bull in 2026, the issue is not completely abated.

Nonetheless, Brundle acknowledged the fortuitous position Antonelli finds himself in, as the Italian himself has alluded to earlier in the year, of not living in "fear" like other young drivers in F1.

"He's lucky because he's effectively a protected species at the team and won't be living in fear of his career like a Red Bull youngster, but the summer break can't come early enough for him I suspect," Brundle added.

The 66-year-old did, however, question why Toto Wolff did not seek to place Antonelli in a seat further down the pecking order.

This would have given him time to hone his craft before moving up to a Mercedes seat, as Russell did with Williams between 2019 and 2021.

"I still wonder why they didn't give Kimi a couple of years to learn his trade in a lesser spotlight as they did with George Russell," he wrote.

"He's a generational talent, as my Sky colleague Nico Rosberg would say, but they can't let his head spiral."