Mercedes presented the team line-up for 2025: 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be the new team-mate of George Russell. Both drivers graduated from the team’s youth program at different times.
Antonelli is racing in Formula 2 this season, but now he must take the next important step in his career.
Toto WolffTeam Principal: “Our new line-up will provide a solid foundation for the next chapter of the Mercedes Motorsport story. The 2025 squad combines experience, talent, youth and speed. We are delighted that George and Kimi are starting their partnership, which is a testament to the strength of our youth programme and our belief in the talent we nurture.
George has already proven that he is one of the best drivers in the world. Not only is he fast, stable and determined, but he is also becoming a strong team leader.
Kimi regularly demonstrates the talent and speed required to compete at the top of our sport. We understand he has a big next step ahead of him, but he has impressed us during testing in an F1 car this year and we will support him every step of the way as he learns.
In George he will have an experienced partner from whom he can learn and improve his skills. I am confident that both will make a significant contribution to the team as we continue to gain momentum and challenge at the front.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “It’s a great feeling to hear that I will be George’s teammate in the Mercedes factory team in 2025. Since I was a child, I have dreamed of driving in Formula 1 and I am grateful to the team for their many years of support and confidence in me. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel ready to take this opportunity. I am focused on progressing and achieving the best results for the team.
“I am happy to be George’s partner. Like me, he has come through the Mercedes youth programme and I have a lot of respect for him. He is very fast, has won more than one Grand Prix and is already helping me to improve. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to achieve success on the track.”
George Russel: “I look forward to working with Kimi in 2025. He has achieved considerable success in the youth formulae and fully deserves to progress to a higher level. He is a talented young racer and also a graduate of our youth program.
“I am ready to use all my experience to help Kimi make the step up to Formula 1. I know how important Lewis Hamilton’s support was for me – both when I was in the junior series and when we became partners. I have learned a lot from him and I hope I can take on the role of mentor for Kimi.”
Markus SchaeferNon-Executive Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG: “This is an important moment for our team: we have presented the line-up for 2025. We are starting the next chapter in our history and we are doing it with great drivers.
George has won more than one Grand Prix and has become a top professional. It has been a pleasure to watch him progress from category to category as part of our youth programme and in recent years he has built a strong reputation in F1 as a team leader.
“Kimi, like George and Lewis, is one of the talented riders our team has developed and has a great future. He has had impressive success in the youth series and his natural speed is evident. I am already looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of a Mercedes next year.”
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.
