It appears that Mercedes has made a decision about who will be George Russell’s new teammate next year: according to Italian publication Autosprint, a contract with Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be announced during the race weekend in Monza.
He turns 18 just a week before the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, and last year’s European Formula Regional champion already has enough points to earn an FIA Superlicense. This season, Kimi is competing in Formula 2, skipping the F3 stage and is seventh in the individual standings so far, but he already has a number of victories to his name.
Mercedes have subjected Antonelli to a very intensive test programme, driving cars from previous years at Imola, the Red Bull Ring and Spa and working closely with the team during race weekends, although he currently has no previous experience training during official race weekends.
Whether what Autosprint reports is true, we will find out very soon. It may not be confirmed, but everything points to Mercedes now betting on Kimi, despite all the risks associated with the fact that he has no experience racing at Formula 1 level. Verstappen made his World Championship debut at the age of 17, he had no such experience either.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
