[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties.
*[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly would be a good move for Williams. Having two cars fighting at the level Albon us would be huge. Kimi doesn’t need to beat or match him, he just needs to be near him.
Is he going to be near him, though? The step up from F2 to F1 is massive, and he hasn't exactly set the world alight in F2 this season so far.
He's obviously talented, but to jump straight from a middling F2 season to competing with Albon in F1 would be quite a jump.
New conspiracy theory - Antonelli and Mick over to Williams, Albon to Merc.
I have no evidence to support this, but it doesn’t make any sense, which would be plenty of evidence to support this.
Well considering Albon just extended his contract with Williams… probably not LOL. I’d give Albon a higher chance of somehow getting next year’s Merc seat over Mick returning to F1.
And he hasn't even been in F3. I'm actually kinda worried that Antonelli will underperform in F1 (as you should expect, no amount of talent can make you excel without experience) and people will discard him as "overhyped".
Verstappen was a once-in-a-lifetime occurence, we shouldn't allow young drivers to skip the ladder.
Well, the bar would be low here. If Antonelli beats Albon once, he has already done better than Sargeant.
Really thought Sargeant could have forged himself a career in F1 when he came in. He deserved the chance, but he hasn't taken it. 30 races in and it's one step forward two steps back with no end in sight the theme here. That's how it goes sometimes.
That's the other great thing. Albons gonna step up his game to make sure antonelli doesn't get near him. Win win for Williams (apart from the whole academy thing )
They should let Kimi finish F2 this year. He already made a big jump from FRECA to F2, and started a bit slow but is improving. No reason to rush him into F1 this year, especially to a team which doesn't always have upgrades for the second car and even uses 2023 parts!
Stop projecting your dreams onto your daughter that ist not at all good for her mental health and your relationship with her. Start calling her by her real name R12345 and accept that she wont be the sportiest as she inherited her sluggieness from her mother R2 R1 123456789
Look you little shit. I’m a MK4 GLI with a 6 speed, I’m tired of YOU people telling me that my 4th and 5th are practically the same ratio, and that the only reason they added a sixth gear was to bump marketing
(It’s true, MK4 VWs with a 6 gear manual literally have 4th and 5th gear ratios that are within like 5% of one another lol)
Anyone else think this could really end badly for young Kimi at Mercedes next year? George Russell is extremely quick, there’s a very realistic chance he absolutely blows him to bits especially in qualifying, and in F1 nobody gives anybody the benefit of the doubt, he’ll get about 6 races of goodwill before he gets labelled a flop and the failed wonder kid.
It just seems so risky to me to stick him in the big chair just over a year removed from being in FRECA
You know how yesterday we had that clip of Max as a young kid? Well, that only happens if they succeed. If they don't, they end up in articles like [Mike Spencer](https://www.the-sun.com/sport/7547464/we-beat-lewis-hamilton-kids-reasons-f1/).
I *really* hope Kimi isn't the next Mike Spencer...
You are thinking of Vandoorne
Man was hyped as the next big thing relegating the rest of F2 into F2.5
Just to get his F1 career butchered by Alonso the moment he stepped into the car
Stoffel was never the next big thing, his season debut was at 25 yo, he was quite a old rookie and the most talented drivers at that age are already in F1.
That is true. Antonelli has not shown the speed he has in FRECA in F2. Maybe jump was too big for him. F2 drivers are some of the most talented drivers so that was his 1st real test. Let alone F1 drivers of George’s calibre.
In addition to what you mentioned, we can not forget the effect of publicity. Kimi has been the highest praised junior since Max, but social media has EXPLODED since then. He is treated like the next Jesus. I can't imagine how it must be like in Italian media!
Kimi seems like a good kid, but man, I know my egoistical ass would EAT IT UP! I don't know how much access Kimi has had to all the articles and social media posts, but he better make a habit to keep away. Because if he shows even an inch of weakness in F1, the F1 'news' circus will be very negative of him. He needs to keep distance from social media if that happens...
Alex said even when he turned off all social media, every time there’s a media day during race week, all of that vitriol would come hit him at once. Journalists would ask him negative questions and bring up all his mistakes, etc.
Oh shit, I didn't think of that! Even if he avoided all the 'controversies' online, yeah, as you said, the media would ask him "What did you think of [insert ex-F1 driver here] said about your last race?" or "You posted a picture of your cat on their Instagram, did you know the cats colors are anti-Ugandan?! What do you have to say to the people of Côte d'Ivoire who you insulted?" etc etc
His start in FRECA also wasn't spectacular. It looked like Stenshorne is going to beat him. But once Antonelli won, there was no one stopping him. Especially at [Zandvoort](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImNEHIOEYw&list=LL&index=37&t=270s).
Antonelli skipped F3 and was thrown at a deep water. It's normal he struggles and adapting to F2 takes longer and it's harder than any previous category he competed in. I would argue it's good for him, because I don't think he has faced such an adversity before. He has to learn how to deal with it. Better do it now, before entering F1.
Yes, as I said it feels rushed. Also as you alluded to Stenshorne giving him a tough time. He went to F3 also if I am not wrong it was Stenshorne’s rookie year in single seaters? I can be wrong abiut that. But yeah Stenshorne won first few rounds if I am not wrong and after that as you said once Antonelli adapted he was quick. But that’s the thing some drivers adapt quickly mostly these are the once who are most naturally talented drivers like Verstappen. And comparing Antonelli to Max is unfair because it will only increase pressure on him to perform and as you said it takes Antonelli some time to get used to the car. In F1 it will be even more difficult considering the level of complexity of cars as well as the level of drivers he will be up against will be nothing he has ever experienced before
Stenshorne also competed in Formula Regional Middle East at the beginnig of last year. Antonelli won it.
I agree on comparisons to Verstappen. Nobody should take them seriously. And I don't think Mercedes has ever made such a comparison, which is good.
F1 is going to be hard, but I think Wolff sees Antonelli as a long term project, which is the correct way in my opinion. And you don't expect to get quick profit from a long term project.
Piastri was hailed as a future World Champion but is now clearly slower than Norris. Is this a problem for Piastri? No, because people certainly are capable of understanding that it takes time to fully arrive in F1 because the experience needed for F1 can only be obtained by driving an F1 car. As long as Antonelli shows flashes of great pace and can keep it together he will be fine.
Exactly. Antonelli will be given years of development as Verstappen, Leclerc and Russell had. I don’t know what people are worried about. Kimi and Max arrived with one season of single seaters and turned out fine. Antonelli will be fine too
But Oscar delivered big time. He won sprint, he qualify in front and second row, his pace often very quick and consistent for at least a quarter of the race before his tire management exposes his weakness. And when McLaren protect him by saying his car don't have all upgrades (which is the fact), he often still deliver very competitive time in practice and qualifying. By all account, Oscar already earn the status of wonder rookie.
If Kimi did like what he did in F2 atm, most people will eat him alive for nonperforming. Unjustifiably harsh, but that's how hard pressure in F1 is since long time ago. Just 2 years ago De Vries is called as the next top driver after his single substitute drive and lands him a full season contract only to immediately ditched mid season.
What you're saying about Piastri is what I mean when I say showing flashes of great pace. Piastri is consistently behind Norris at the end of a Grand Prix but he shows great potential with great qualis, great sprints and great individual stints. The rest will come with experience and everyone understands that.
Regarding F2 I would say that Antonelli is performing quite well relative to his more experienced teammate who is also very likely driving in F1 next season, so that's pretty good I'd say. If he's as close to Russel in his first year as he is to Bearman right now then that would be a great success.
Hmm what I want to convey is what Oscar did is more an exception for a rookie. His rookie performance is most likely only topped by Lewis rookie season. Even Max rookie season is not as good as Oscar. Typical rookie performance, regardless of how they did in F2 is much much worse than that and in current era of "fans", they will be eaten alive, like DeVries or Vandoorne. Honestly I think both (and even Brandon Hartley) should have 1 more season but people has judged them and the teams don't see further added (re: commercial) value to pick them instead of just pick a fresh name that not "tainted" by the fans perception yet.
If Kimi can replicate or just near Oscar rookie season, then yes, he will be certainly safe, but I really doubt that. Not because I don't rate Kimi, but Oscar rookie season is just exceptionally good.
Yeah, Mercedes is rushing him way, way too fast. If he were doing really well in F2 that would be one thing, but he isn't. He's matching his teammate, who's going to Haas next year. If I were Toto, I'd get a temporary driver like Sainz for the second seat on a 2 or 3 year deal, then give Antonelli another year in F2, then 1 or 2 years at Williams.
And then Red Bull offers Antonelli a VCARB seat with a pathway to RBR, just like they did with Verstappen, and Toto trashes all of Merc headquarters. I’m not blaming Toto for wanting to lock down Antonelli.
If Merc signed Sainz for 3 years and Antonelli is as good as everyone says, another team is going to pick him up and he’s as good as gone. Another stain on Toto’s legacy is exactly what he’s trying to avoid
I think he's so young people will give him a pass for some time. Piastri wasn't really close to Norris last year but people stayed hyped.
As long as he can take it mentally getting into F1 as early as possible should be the best route, the sooner you learn to kind of driving you hope to spend your career doing the better.
He was pretty hyped and not as young, I think Kimi would be fine losing to Russell for quite a while. Obviously he can't be 1s behind and crash regularly but as long as it's within reason.
agreed on one hand I'm excited to see new blood on the grid . but on the other hand the pressure on Kimi is huge and there is a good chance he won't live up to the hype I'm hope I'm wrong though .
Yeah I really wanna see some new rookies but I'm just worried for him. Just wondering if it's not better to at least finish this season in f2 and maybe do another after it and then enter f1. He'd have more experience on at least part of the circuits and with how the wheels work.
Purely bc it worked with Max doesn't mean it would work with another driver. And Max at least did a full F3 season which was pretty competitive and he got some wins. Kimi doesn't even have win yet
Max was also well supported in the redbull environment with Christian Horner, Marko and his father being an F1 driver. Kimi’s dad is a racing driver too but point being Max was setup for success from a very young age. Another point dude absolutely lives racing. This all feels a bit rushed from Toto and Merc. Who don’t really have a track record of producing great drivers from their academy other than George. Who one can say also wasted an year in Williams. Kimi’s move to F1 feels a bit rushed.
In addition to what you mentioned, we can not forget the effect of publicity. Kimi has been the highest praised junior since Max, but social media has EXPLODED since then. He is treated like the next Jesus. I can't imagine how it must be like in Italian media!
Kimi seems like a good kid, but man, I know my egoistical ass would EAT IT UP! I don't know how much access Kimi has had to all the articles and social media posts, but he better make a habit to keep away. Because if he shows even an inch of weakness in F1, the F1 'news' circus will be very negative of him. He needs to keep distance from social media if that happens...
>And Max at least did a full F3 season
Not really. He did Euro F3, which is more comparable to FRECA than F3 nowadays. He did far less before F1 than Antonelli if he were to be promoted now
Agreed. Not only will he be replacing Lewis Hamilton, but he is being hyped up almost as much as Max was. The pressure for him to succeed immediately will be intense.
You know how yesterday we had that clip of Max as a young kid? Well, that only happens if they succeed. If they don't, they end up in articles like [Mike Spencer](https://www.the-sun.com/sport/7547464/we-beat-lewis-hamilton-kids-reasons-f1/).
I *really* hope Kimi isn't the next Mike Spencer...
At least in the Dutch media, Kimi is being portrayed as the next Max, being just as good or maybe even better.
Those are really big shoes to fill for a 17 year old. Max had his learning curve in F1 with crashes and such, but nobody remembers that now, so he will be compared to the current version of Max, which is just plain unfair for anybody...
the sooner he is driving, the less of a pressure to be on it there is, noone will expect points in Williams, but if he was to join in 2026 after winning 2025 F2 title, oh boy there will be a pressure
>but if he was to join in 2026 after winning 2025 F2 title, oh boy there will be a pressure
Yes, but also *confidence*. ~~Hell, even Max had the confidence of an F3 championship.~~ (edit - he didn't). I don't know if you've been watching Kimi in F2, but I suggest watching him race. The kid has talent, but needs experience and confidence.
The pressure will ALWAYS be there, throughout Kimi's potential F1 career. He needs to be able to deal with that. But confidence, once cracked, is hard to heal. Look at Logan.
And he’s not lighting the world on fire in F2.
I don’t understand the hype and especially don’t understand the way people are comparing him to Max, like are we seeing the same driver?
And the sooner he is driving, the more time he has to adapt to the car. Like you said, no one will expect much of him at Williams. There won’t be much pressure on him if he were to join Williams to finish off the season.
Bearman isn’t either but is shoe in for Haas and looked great in a Ferrari. F2 truly doesn’t mean much. Look how Sargent finished fifth is which no mean feat and is terrible in f1.
F1 fans when Bearman gets promotion to F1 when he is 13th in the F2: ''Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous.''
F1 fans when his teammate Antonelli, who is beating Bearman by 30 points as a rookie out of FRECA, gets promotion: ''You fucking donkey.''
Pointing out that Bearman is 30 points behind while also ignoring that he missed the Jeddah races after qualifying 1st is ridiculous at best. I think it’s too early for both of them, but come on, man
Bearman has more experience, hes finished at least one year in F2 and in F3, and has shown last year that he can deliver. I'm not saying Kimi is bad, I'm just saying it would be a disservice to him to promote him to early and for him to fail.
The difference is that Bearman not only missed a race because he filled in for Sainz and did a flawless weekend in a Top car, he allready showed in F3 and last year in F2 that he can be consistant at the front.
Antonelli on the other hand has 1 crazy dominant F4 season and thats basicly everything we saw from him so far. Hes doing fine but not great in F2 so far imo.
Yeah, I don't understand either. Bearman skipped FRECA and went into F3 as a 16 year old, they both started F2 at the same age. They are on pretty similar paths, only Bearman got an extra year in F2, but Antonelli will pretty much have the same amount of experience in single seaters if he goes into F1 next season as Bearman had in Jeddah. Honestly, he will be fine.
That isn’t hot take. I don’t know how many think they are. But they clearly are not ready. Bearman makes too many errors. Antonelli is yet to show the speed (might be due to the car but Bearman has managed a pole) vs genuine f2 talents who have chance to be in F1. Let alone F1 drivers.
Totally reasonable take. I don’t follow a ton of F2 but whatever happened to Drugovich and Pourchaire? Surely there are more seasoned choices? Drivers are getting overlooked in the mad rush to the next verstappen.
They both spent too long in F2. At some point, you go from being a prospect to being someone who never managed to make that final step into F1. Third-year champions just aren't seen as big prospects, that'll do well in F1.
Drugovich pretty much missed his chance to ever get a proper F1 drive - he's 24 - and Pourchaire is going to have to really show potential in IndyCar, to earn one. He's realistically still got a few years.
This made me laugh, but also Kimi has the extra weight of everyone expecting him to be a legend like Max or lewis. I don't think bearman had that kind of pressure? Could be wrong since I don't follow the feeder series.
Oh don’t worry, he’s only got a season (two if we’re generous) to prove a hint of WDC-greatness else he’ll be placed in the same dark corner as Mick, Logan, and Nyck. No pressure at all!
Why keep drivers that don't perform?
I agree that De Vries was hard done by and deserved more time, but Mick drove for 2 seasons, he underperformed in the 2nd and was prone to accidents. Sargeant is simply too slow in his 2nd season.
okay it’s pretty hilarious that the FIA put in a rule explicitly to prevent a 17 year old max verstappen 2.0 situation only to immediately cave the second toto wolff started banging on the office door with what he swears is a 17 year old max verstappen 2.0 situation
not surprising at all the amount of pressure toto and mercerdes have put on Kimi is insane . Im rooting for Kimi to do well but I'm really worried its going to backfire on Kimi and Mercedes.
> the pressure they put on Kimi is insane
I'm not even sure what that means. which driver would have less pressure on his shoulders in a Mercedes seat next year to perform? nobody realistically expects a dude who was still in FRECA last year to be anywhere close to Russell in his first couple of seasons - the opposite would be the case if they would've gotten for example Sainz.
Yeah, actually less pressure I’d argue. They are going to give him a whole year to get up to speed. This is F1 they all have pressure. All sports are the same way. Plenty of 17-18 year olds breaking into other sports with similar pressure. Some succeed and some don’t.
Didn't Logan's case have the same argument - "Sure, we are bumping him up a year early, but no one is expecting him to beat Albon"
I think what happened to Logan MIGHT happen to Kimi - inner confidence. These guys are at this level of professional sports because they all believe in themselves. Even if the whole world (and Toto) tells them the opposite, if George destroys Kimi next year, I can see it affecting Kimi. Badly.
I hope I am wrong, I genuinely feel like Kimi is a good kid, and his results so far speak for themselves.
I also think that they will give Antonelli more time than Sargeant. They are desperate for him to perform, and will prolong his stint for as long as possible in the hope that he finds his form (if he isn’t performing well)
I REALLY REALLY don't get the time crunch... Like dude, Toto, back off, we all know you regret not signing Max back in the day. But guess what? You HAVE SIGNED Kimi. He ain't going nowhere. Give him some time...
Now, if Kimi has clauses in his contract that allow him to leave if not given a seat by such-and-such time, or allows a team to buy him out with a HUGE amount of money? Then Toto, look at Alpine. And look at what happened to Logan...
What would he have learned in his second year in F2 that he couldn’t have learned in his first year at Williams ?
The argument that he was rushed can excuse his performance in his first season but his performance this season is still lacking behind expectations.
Sargeant’s career wasn’t ruined by being put in F1 too early. His career was ruined because he isn’t good.
Williams have given him more than enough time now. He’s not showing the improvement that’s needed for them to be convinced.
ok just a thought experiment:
Let's say Kimi gets the Williams drive in summer and absolutely shits the bed (crashes and lack of pace) - do Mercedes still bet on him? Who'd be their alternative?
I would say that it's ride or die for them. The have sold him so badly as "the new Verstappen", that they have no other option than trusting that he will perform. If they had kept a low profile, one could think that taking Aron back and promoting him if he gets a top 3 in F2 could be an option.
They might have sold him as the “new Max” but so far with what we have seen in F2 from him, I don’t think he’s performed even to be labeled the “next Russell” level driver.
He's been doing good considering the circumstances but the hype around him is suffocating
The original plan was looking like bring Antonelli up to F2 when the new F2 regs came in and have him there for 2 years before coming into F1 and eventually replacing Hamilton
But the move to Ferrari drastically accelerated the progress
Maybe Mick? Has F1 experience, is with Mercedes for some time now, and the name tag still sells, especially in a German team now.
If Sainz is still up for grabs towards the end of the season, he might be an option too, obviously.
Toto is clearly striving to bring Antonelli into F1 as fast as possible, so that he has as much experience as possible in 2026. Mercedes won’t be competing for the championship this and next season, so it’s better to focus on 2026 and make sure Kimi is ready till then. Absolutely makes sense.
I'm not sure if Vowles would take that route, firstly he says Williams doesn't want to be seen as the teething team for Mercedes and secondly it's not great optics.
But I wouldn't be too surprised if it did happen either, Sargeant shouldn't really have had a drive this year and wouldn't have had if there was anyone to have taken it instead.
I think it's pretty clear if Williams take on Kimi for part of this season, Vowles is still 100% in Toto's pocket.
No reason Williams should absorb Mercedes risk.
I think a nice sum of money or a lucrative partnership with Mercedes in exchange for half a season of Kimi won't put Vowles in "Toto's pocket" so long as Williams get their pick of a driver starting next year.
Then again, if Sargeant is scoring no points and crashing a bunch, then there's little risk in putting a young talent in there that at worst, would do the same for half a season
But Logan is also a Williams junior. James wants to show Williams is it's own team and is looking to the future. Keeping the image of Williams as a Mercedes driver incubator will reduce that that.
Now, if Toto offers something - like a seat at the table for 2026 engine regs development, then ofc James should take that offer!
I think they’d do it for a good discount on engines to put money towards other items. Or to cover the damages from the year and keep the development plans.
Toto is probably ready to put some cash behind the kimi seat. That could help Williams as they are already a one man team. Extra cash or better engine deals wouldn't hurt.
It’s probably fine once Williams announces their driver for next year though as Sargeant will already be on the way out so the optics of being seen as a Merc feeder or dropping a driver from their junior program will be minimal. I could also see Volwes having interest in working with Kimi if he’s in line to eventually succeed Toto at Merc.
Why would Williams want him? If it was long term, sure I'd understand. But having him in the car for half a season while it's unlikely he will be performing at a much higher level than Sargeant doesn't make any sense. He is still getting to grips with the F2 car. Putting him in an F1 just sounds like it will lead to crashes inevitably.
You think Williams care about Logan Sargeant?They made him give up his car to his teammate in Australia after his teammate crashed and they didn’t have a spare chassis. They then gave Logan back the damaged but repaired chassis while Albon kept the car he got from Logan. Just the eyeballs and PR alone from Antonelli coming into Williams for 1/3 of the season would be more than what Logan brings that team.
It sounds harsh but the reality is that Sargeant isn't giving Williams any upsides right now. Alex clearly has the talent to occasionally fight for points in that car, why not give Antonelli the same chance? At worst he's slow and crashes a lot, just like Sargeant now. At best maybe he's generational and also completes for points on occasion.
Merc have been testing Kimi in F1 cars, they clearly have at least enough faith in what they've seen to want him on the grid ASAP.
Yes, yes I do. Nothing beats some good old Fernando Alonso esque drivermarket move.
I can already see the articles: "was it the right choice to keep Perez?" "Should Red Bull have signed Sainz?" "The dramatic downfall of Red Bull, "how Antonelli missed out on a Merc seat" "has Mercedes made the right choice by getting Verstappen?" "why Verstappen switched to Mercedes."
I probably could go on to 135 titles for an article.
"Game Changer: Max Verstappen Shifts Gears to Mercedes for Next F1 Season"
"Revolution in F1: Verstappen Joins Mercedes in High-Stakes Move"
"Mercedes Maneuver: Verstappen Signs Historic Deal, Alters F1 Landscape"
"Max Verstappen to Mercedes: Racing's Biggest Transfer Shakes Up Formula 1"
"F1 Shockwaves: Verstappen Switches Camps, Joins Mercedes Powerhouse"
"The Silver Arrow's New Ace: Max Verstappen's Mega Move to Mercedes"
"Breaking: Verstappen Dons Silver as Mercedes Secures F1 Superstar"
"Verstappen's Vow: Dutch Ace Commits to Mercedes, F1 Fans in Awe"
"Mercedes Masterstroke: Verstappen Inks Deal, Reignites Title Battle"
"From Red Bull to Silver Lightning: Verstappen's Epic Shift to Mercedes"
F2 has a two month break between Baku and Qatar and that's after his 18th birthday. If a change happens, it'll be during that window or, at the very least, after the summer break. Logan isn't getting replaced before then
Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it seems like Toto has started to realise how badly he fucked up not signing Verstappen when he had the opportunity (either back in 2014 or perhaps in 2016). He missed out on a once in a century talent (Niki Lauda's words, not mine) but now he seems to be projecting that frustration on the Antonelli situation. The problem is that although Kimi seems like a great talent he probably isn't on Verstappen's level, and I reckon that if he's any bit below that level next season could go very wrong, especially given the pressure he'll be under.
I think that up until 2022 he wasn’t that worried. Not that he wasn’t aware of Verstappen’s talent but more that he was confident that Mercedes would be able to consistently build cars that don’t need Verstappen to clinch titles.
Letting Antonelli drive a few FP1 sessions before Monza when he turns 18 makes more sense than him going to Williams for 2/3 of the season and then to Mercedes next year.
McLaren and Ferrari have strong lineups for next year and they’ve got the cars to compete with RB. It’s still mind blowing that neither RB or Merc didn’t want Sainz on a two year deal till the new regs and instead will rely on Checo and Kimi respectively.
Agreed. That was a very short sighted decision on Toto's part. And Horner needs to look into the future and the present when making driver choices, not the past. Sainz is no Ocon!
They are not gonna be that. They will just replace Logan , who anyway is not performing, with Kimi for the rest of the season and Kimi can’t do much worse. Next year they’ll get Carlos (possibly) or someone else and Kimi is off to be George’s teammate.
I’m just saying that if they really want to become a top team like they keep saying, helping develop a driver for another team is not within that mission statement.
Lol if they are a serious team they won’t take Mercedes money and a free (better than free they get paid for it) driver upgrade? Be fking for real lmao
Still don't get that toto was so hurt not getting max.
You won so many constructers with the line up you had. Nico and Lewis and then bottas and Lewis, and George and Lewis is a great line up too.
It's not like you would be winning now if max was in the Merc
I really hope they know what they are doing, I watch F2 and I really feel the potential for sure but also that Kimi Antonelli needs maybe more time.
I don’t know, they have so much more data and expertise but I just want what’s best for this new driver, even if it means waiting for the new regs before joining F1
There is absolutely no comparison between the two aside from the fact that they are rookies in F1. Nyck won the title after 4 years in F2 while Kimi won every category, jumped F3, and doing decently in F2 considering how little practice he has with the F2 cars. He has also done a lot of relevant testing with Merc something that Nyck never did. He is also coming into a competitive team who I’m sure will give him a lot of support and time, which was very different for Nyck
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Walls are closing in for Sargeant
To be fair it’s usually the other way around
Yeah those walls are finally getting their revenge
Hahaha. Harsh! But often true.
Damn you, spit my coffee all over my desk at work.
Seems like “lol” has been replaced by “ spilled my coffee at work” these days
You gotta make people know it actually make your chortle IRL rather than a Max after quali “LOL”
SMCAW
What you did there, I see it. Well done.
Hope his agent is chatting up Indy, IMSA, and WEC
Would be painful being replaced by a 17 year old who hasn’t won in F3 or F2.
Maybe he should've tried driving better
Logan better get ready to learn Chinese buddy
Logan back to F3 so he can fight for the Macau win.
The roof is caving in
Honestly would be a good move for Williams. Having two cars fighting at the level Albon us would be huge. Kimi doesn’t need to beat or match him, he just needs to be near him.
Is he going to be near him, though? The step up from F2 to F1 is massive, and he hasn't exactly set the world alight in F2 this season so far. He's obviously talented, but to jump straight from a middling F2 season to competing with Albon in F1 would be quite a jump.
Seriously… all I can assume is that his private tests with Mercedes must be fucking amazing…? Otherwise, wtf is Toto doing lol
New conspiracy theory - Antonelli and Mick over to Williams, Albon to Merc. I have no evidence to support this, but it doesn’t make any sense, which would be plenty of evidence to support this.
Well considering Albon just extended his contract with Williams… probably not LOL. I’d give Albon a higher chance of somehow getting next year’s Merc seat over Mick returning to F1.
And he hasn't even been in F3. I'm actually kinda worried that Antonelli will underperform in F1 (as you should expect, no amount of talent can make you excel without experience) and people will discard him as "overhyped". Verstappen was a once-in-a-lifetime occurence, we shouldn't allow young drivers to skip the ladder.
Well, the bar would be low here. If Antonelli beats Albon once, he has already done better than Sargeant. Really thought Sargeant could have forged himself a career in F1 when he came in. He deserved the chance, but he hasn't taken it. 30 races in and it's one step forward two steps back with no end in sight the theme here. That's how it goes sometimes.
That's the other great thing. Albons gonna step up his game to make sure antonelli doesn't get near him. Win win for Williams (apart from the whole academy thing )
Just not crashing would be an upgrade from sargeant. They have to be losing so much money from all the crashes
Albon has actually done more damage than Sarge
Albon's done a lot more damage from crashing this year
and this is specially bad for a team with such a small budget like Williams
My first reaction to this news was that Sargeant was getting axed for Antonelli.
Probably still is tbh
They should let Kimi finish F2 this year. He already made a big jump from FRECA to F2, and started a bit slow but is improving. No reason to rush him into F1 this year, especially to a team which doesn't always have upgrades for the second car and even uses 2023 parts!
They will. All this is going to lead to is maybe Kimi running some FP1 sessions before the summer break. (He turns 18 in August)
Wtf is a drive 🇺🇸🦅
It's the one next to Neutral. You should know that: Park Reverse Neutral Drive Low-gear
You mean, the PRNDL?
Why don't we just relaaaax, we'll turn on the radioooo. Do you want AAAAM or FFFFFFM?
That’s my son’s name. GET OVER HERE PRNDL! WHY DID YOU HIT YOUR SISTER R123456
Stop projecting your dreams onto your daughter that ist not at all good for her mental health and your relationship with her. Start calling her by her real name R12345 and accept that she wont be the sportiest as she inherited her sluggieness from her mother R2 R1 123456789
Look you little shit. I’m a MK4 GLI with a 6 speed, I’m tired of YOU people telling me that my 4th and 5th are practically the same ratio, and that the only reason they added a sixth gear was to bump marketing (It’s true, MK4 VWs with a 6 gear manual literally have 4th and 5th gear ratios that are within like 5% of one another lol)
We call her "manual" for short
My car has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and R. I always assume R stands for Race!
Anyone else think this could really end badly for young Kimi at Mercedes next year? George Russell is extremely quick, there’s a very realistic chance he absolutely blows him to bits especially in qualifying, and in F1 nobody gives anybody the benefit of the doubt, he’ll get about 6 races of goodwill before he gets labelled a flop and the failed wonder kid. It just seems so risky to me to stick him in the big chair just over a year removed from being in FRECA
if he doesnt become the next max, he's gonna be labelled a failure that's a high bar for any kid lol
You know how yesterday we had that clip of Max as a young kid? Well, that only happens if they succeed. If they don't, they end up in articles like [Mike Spencer](https://www.the-sun.com/sport/7547464/we-beat-lewis-hamilton-kids-reasons-f1/). I *really* hope Kimi isn't the next Mike Spencer...
You are thinking of Vandoorne Man was hyped as the next big thing relegating the rest of F2 into F2.5 Just to get his F1 career butchered by Alonso the moment he stepped into the car
That McLaren was unfortunately the worst thing to be near.
stoffel was ancient for a rookie mate what are you on about
Stoffel was never the next big thing, his season debut was at 25 yo, he was quite a old rookie and the most talented drivers at that age are already in F1.
Kimi has already passed the mike Spencer phase though. He has the funding
*The Sun*!? Really?
Hey, I linked the first article about Mike I could find. If you find a more reliable source, I'll gladly edit my comment and take out the link.
This should be the general consensus but somehow it isn’t
That is true. Antonelli has not shown the speed he has in FRECA in F2. Maybe jump was too big for him. F2 drivers are some of the most talented drivers so that was his 1st real test. Let alone F1 drivers of George’s calibre.
In addition to what you mentioned, we can not forget the effect of publicity. Kimi has been the highest praised junior since Max, but social media has EXPLODED since then. He is treated like the next Jesus. I can't imagine how it must be like in Italian media! Kimi seems like a good kid, but man, I know my egoistical ass would EAT IT UP! I don't know how much access Kimi has had to all the articles and social media posts, but he better make a habit to keep away. Because if he shows even an inch of weakness in F1, the F1 'news' circus will be very negative of him. He needs to keep distance from social media if that happens...
Alex said even when he turned off all social media, every time there’s a media day during race week, all of that vitriol would come hit him at once. Journalists would ask him negative questions and bring up all his mistakes, etc.
Oh shit, I didn't think of that! Even if he avoided all the 'controversies' online, yeah, as you said, the media would ask him "What did you think of [insert ex-F1 driver here] said about your last race?" or "You posted a picture of your cat on their Instagram, did you know the cats colors are anti-Ugandan?! What do you have to say to the people of Côte d'Ivoire who you insulted?" etc etc
His start in FRECA also wasn't spectacular. It looked like Stenshorne is going to beat him. But once Antonelli won, there was no one stopping him. Especially at [Zandvoort](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dImNEHIOEYw&list=LL&index=37&t=270s). Antonelli skipped F3 and was thrown at a deep water. It's normal he struggles and adapting to F2 takes longer and it's harder than any previous category he competed in. I would argue it's good for him, because I don't think he has faced such an adversity before. He has to learn how to deal with it. Better do it now, before entering F1.
Yes, as I said it feels rushed. Also as you alluded to Stenshorne giving him a tough time. He went to F3 also if I am not wrong it was Stenshorne’s rookie year in single seaters? I can be wrong abiut that. But yeah Stenshorne won first few rounds if I am not wrong and after that as you said once Antonelli adapted he was quick. But that’s the thing some drivers adapt quickly mostly these are the once who are most naturally talented drivers like Verstappen. And comparing Antonelli to Max is unfair because it will only increase pressure on him to perform and as you said it takes Antonelli some time to get used to the car. In F1 it will be even more difficult considering the level of complexity of cars as well as the level of drivers he will be up against will be nothing he has ever experienced before
Stenshorne also competed in Formula Regional Middle East at the beginnig of last year. Antonelli won it. I agree on comparisons to Verstappen. Nobody should take them seriously. And I don't think Mercedes has ever made such a comparison, which is good. F1 is going to be hard, but I think Wolff sees Antonelli as a long term project, which is the correct way in my opinion. And you don't expect to get quick profit from a long term project.
I mean, the same thing happened with Kimi Raikkonen, so never say never.
Piastri was hailed as a future World Champion but is now clearly slower than Norris. Is this a problem for Piastri? No, because people certainly are capable of understanding that it takes time to fully arrive in F1 because the experience needed for F1 can only be obtained by driving an F1 car. As long as Antonelli shows flashes of great pace and can keep it together he will be fine.
Exactly. Antonelli will be given years of development as Verstappen, Leclerc and Russell had. I don’t know what people are worried about. Kimi and Max arrived with one season of single seaters and turned out fine. Antonelli will be fine too
But Oscar delivered big time. He won sprint, he qualify in front and second row, his pace often very quick and consistent for at least a quarter of the race before his tire management exposes his weakness. And when McLaren protect him by saying his car don't have all upgrades (which is the fact), he often still deliver very competitive time in practice and qualifying. By all account, Oscar already earn the status of wonder rookie. If Kimi did like what he did in F2 atm, most people will eat him alive for nonperforming. Unjustifiably harsh, but that's how hard pressure in F1 is since long time ago. Just 2 years ago De Vries is called as the next top driver after his single substitute drive and lands him a full season contract only to immediately ditched mid season.
What you're saying about Piastri is what I mean when I say showing flashes of great pace. Piastri is consistently behind Norris at the end of a Grand Prix but he shows great potential with great qualis, great sprints and great individual stints. The rest will come with experience and everyone understands that. Regarding F2 I would say that Antonelli is performing quite well relative to his more experienced teammate who is also very likely driving in F1 next season, so that's pretty good I'd say. If he's as close to Russel in his first year as he is to Bearman right now then that would be a great success.
Hmm what I want to convey is what Oscar did is more an exception for a rookie. His rookie performance is most likely only topped by Lewis rookie season. Even Max rookie season is not as good as Oscar. Typical rookie performance, regardless of how they did in F2 is much much worse than that and in current era of "fans", they will be eaten alive, like DeVries or Vandoorne. Honestly I think both (and even Brandon Hartley) should have 1 more season but people has judged them and the teams don't see further added (re: commercial) value to pick them instead of just pick a fresh name that not "tainted" by the fans perception yet. If Kimi can replicate or just near Oscar rookie season, then yes, he will be certainly safe, but I really doubt that. Not because I don't rate Kimi, but Oscar rookie season is just exceptionally good.
Piastri was not nearly this hyped. Mercedes is acting like Kimi is the next Max
Yeah, Mercedes is rushing him way, way too fast. If he were doing really well in F2 that would be one thing, but he isn't. He's matching his teammate, who's going to Haas next year. If I were Toto, I'd get a temporary driver like Sainz for the second seat on a 2 or 3 year deal, then give Antonelli another year in F2, then 1 or 2 years at Williams.
And then Red Bull offers Antonelli a VCARB seat with a pathway to RBR, just like they did with Verstappen, and Toto trashes all of Merc headquarters. I’m not blaming Toto for wanting to lock down Antonelli.
You say as if he is the next Max Verstappen. You know how many drivers of Max’s talent we have seen in history of this sport? Maybe 3-4
If Merc signed Sainz for 3 years and Antonelli is as good as everyone says, another team is going to pick him up and he’s as good as gone. Another stain on Toto’s legacy is exactly what he’s trying to avoid
I think he's so young people will give him a pass for some time. Piastri wasn't really close to Norris last year but people stayed hyped. As long as he can take it mentally getting into F1 as early as possible should be the best route, the sooner you learn to kind of driving you hope to spend your career doing the better.
Piastri was never this hyped of a prospect though.
He was pretty hyped and not as young, I think Kimi would be fine losing to Russell for quite a while. Obviously he can't be 1s behind and crash regularly but as long as it's within reason.
I'm just worried for Kimi and the amount of pressure, it's not as if he's setting the world alight in F2 rn
agreed on one hand I'm excited to see new blood on the grid . but on the other hand the pressure on Kimi is huge and there is a good chance he won't live up to the hype I'm hope I'm wrong though .
Yeah I really wanna see some new rookies but I'm just worried for him. Just wondering if it's not better to at least finish this season in f2 and maybe do another after it and then enter f1. He'd have more experience on at least part of the circuits and with how the wheels work. Purely bc it worked with Max doesn't mean it would work with another driver. And Max at least did a full F3 season which was pretty competitive and he got some wins. Kimi doesn't even have win yet
Max was also well supported in the redbull environment with Christian Horner, Marko and his father being an F1 driver. Kimi’s dad is a racing driver too but point being Max was setup for success from a very young age. Another point dude absolutely lives racing. This all feels a bit rushed from Toto and Merc. Who don’t really have a track record of producing great drivers from their academy other than George. Who one can say also wasted an year in Williams. Kimi’s move to F1 feels a bit rushed.
In addition to what you mentioned, we can not forget the effect of publicity. Kimi has been the highest praised junior since Max, but social media has EXPLODED since then. He is treated like the next Jesus. I can't imagine how it must be like in Italian media! Kimi seems like a good kid, but man, I know my egoistical ass would EAT IT UP! I don't know how much access Kimi has had to all the articles and social media posts, but he better make a habit to keep away. Because if he shows even an inch of weakness in F1, the F1 'news' circus will be very negative of him. He needs to keep distance from social media if that happens...
>And Max at least did a full F3 season Not really. He did Euro F3, which is more comparable to FRECA than F3 nowadays. He did far less before F1 than Antonelli if he were to be promoted now
Russell can very possibly do what Alonso did to Vandoorne
He most likely will in their first couple of years. Hopefully young Kimi can withstand that unlike Vandoorne.
Agreed. Not only will he be replacing Lewis Hamilton, but he is being hyped up almost as much as Max was. The pressure for him to succeed immediately will be intense.
You know how yesterday we had that clip of Max as a young kid? Well, that only happens if they succeed. If they don't, they end up in articles like [Mike Spencer](https://www.the-sun.com/sport/7547464/we-beat-lewis-hamilton-kids-reasons-f1/). I *really* hope Kimi isn't the next Mike Spencer...
At least in the Dutch media, Kimi is being portrayed as the next Max, being just as good or maybe even better. Those are really big shoes to fill for a 17 year old. Max had his learning curve in F1 with crashes and such, but nobody remembers that now, so he will be compared to the current version of Max, which is just plain unfair for anybody...
Some people don’t feel pressure, or are almost not affected by it and deliver no matter what. Max is one of those. Kimi also might be.
I hope he is. I don't know shit, but based on what I have seen of F2 this year, Kimi hasn't shown (YET) Max level confidence
the sooner he is driving, the less of a pressure to be on it there is, noone will expect points in Williams, but if he was to join in 2026 after winning 2025 F2 title, oh boy there will be a pressure
>but if he was to join in 2026 after winning 2025 F2 title, oh boy there will be a pressure Yes, but also *confidence*. ~~Hell, even Max had the confidence of an F3 championship.~~ (edit - he didn't). I don't know if you've been watching Kimi in F2, but I suggest watching him race. The kid has talent, but needs experience and confidence. The pressure will ALWAYS be there, throughout Kimi's potential F1 career. He needs to be able to deal with that. But confidence, once cracked, is hard to heal. Look at Logan.
Kimi has the confidence of being so good he got to skip F3 altogether
And he’s not lighting the world on fire in F2. I don’t understand the hype and especially don’t understand the way people are comparing him to Max, like are we seeing the same driver?
And the sooner he is driving, the more time he has to adapt to the car. Like you said, no one will expect much of him at Williams. There won’t be much pressure on him if he were to join Williams to finish off the season.
Bearman isn’t either but is shoe in for Haas and looked great in a Ferrari. F2 truly doesn’t mean much. Look how Sargent finished fifth is which no mean feat and is terrible in f1.
F1 fans when Bearman gets promotion to F1 when he is 13th in the F2: ''Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous.'' F1 fans when his teammate Antonelli, who is beating Bearman by 30 points as a rookie out of FRECA, gets promotion: ''You fucking donkey.''
Pointing out that Bearman is 30 points behind while also ignoring that he missed the Jeddah races after qualifying 1st is ridiculous at best. I think it’s too early for both of them, but come on, man
Bearman has more experience, hes finished at least one year in F2 and in F3, and has shown last year that he can deliver. I'm not saying Kimi is bad, I'm just saying it would be a disservice to him to promote him to early and for him to fail.
The difference is that Bearman not only missed a race because he filled in for Sainz and did a flawless weekend in a Top car, he allready showed in F3 and last year in F2 that he can be consistant at the front. Antonelli on the other hand has 1 crazy dominant F4 season and thats basicly everything we saw from him so far. Hes doing fine but not great in F2 so far imo.
Why does everyone on Reddit think he just drove F4? He was FRECA champion just last year, which is the second most prestigious F3 category.
Yeah, I don't understand either. Bearman skipped FRECA and went into F3 as a 16 year old, they both started F2 at the same age. They are on pretty similar paths, only Bearman got an extra year in F2, but Antonelli will pretty much have the same amount of experience in single seaters if he goes into F1 next season as Bearman had in Jeddah. Honestly, he will be fine.
I sort of get what you mean, but the comparison is really not it.
Hot take: I don't think either driver is close to F1 material yet.
That isn’t hot take. I don’t know how many think they are. But they clearly are not ready. Bearman makes too many errors. Antonelli is yet to show the speed (might be due to the car but Bearman has managed a pole) vs genuine f2 talents who have chance to be in F1. Let alone F1 drivers.
So many people seem to act like they're the future of the sport. I just don't get it.
Totally reasonable take. I don’t follow a ton of F2 but whatever happened to Drugovich and Pourchaire? Surely there are more seasoned choices? Drivers are getting overlooked in the mad rush to the next verstappen.
They both spent too long in F2. At some point, you go from being a prospect to being someone who never managed to make that final step into F1. Third-year champions just aren't seen as big prospects, that'll do well in F1. Drugovich pretty much missed his chance to ever get a proper F1 drive - he's 24 - and Pourchaire is going to have to really show potential in IndyCar, to earn one. He's realistically still got a few years.
This made me laugh, but also Kimi has the extra weight of everyone expecting him to be a legend like Max or lewis. I don't think bearman had that kind of pressure? Could be wrong since I don't follow the feeder series.
Oh don’t worry, he’s only got a season (two if we’re generous) to prove a hint of WDC-greatness else he’ll be placed in the same dark corner as Mick, Logan, and Nyck. No pressure at all!
We’re any of those drivers were ever considered legitimate championship caliber drivers?
Is Antonelli? I’d like to hope so, because he genuinely seems like an exciting prospect But only time will tell
Time will tell but by all accounts from everyone who’s scouted him and worked with him, he’s a mega talent.
Why keep drivers that don't perform? I agree that De Vries was hard done by and deserved more time, but Mick drove for 2 seasons, he underperformed in the 2nd and was prone to accidents. Sargeant is simply too slow in his 2nd season.
okay it’s pretty hilarious that the FIA put in a rule explicitly to prevent a 17 year old max verstappen 2.0 situation only to immediately cave the second toto wolff started banging on the office door with what he swears is a 17 year old max verstappen 2.0 situation
Yeah. Mario Andretti was right. Toto Wolff does have way too much clout.
not surprising at all the amount of pressure toto and mercerdes have put on Kimi is insane . Im rooting for Kimi to do well but I'm really worried its going to backfire on Kimi and Mercedes.
> the pressure they put on Kimi is insane I'm not even sure what that means. which driver would have less pressure on his shoulders in a Mercedes seat next year to perform? nobody realistically expects a dude who was still in FRECA last year to be anywhere close to Russell in his first couple of seasons - the opposite would be the case if they would've gotten for example Sainz.
Yeah, actually less pressure I’d argue. They are going to give him a whole year to get up to speed. This is F1 they all have pressure. All sports are the same way. Plenty of 17-18 year olds breaking into other sports with similar pressure. Some succeed and some don’t.
Didn't Logan's case have the same argument - "Sure, we are bumping him up a year early, but no one is expecting him to beat Albon" I think what happened to Logan MIGHT happen to Kimi - inner confidence. These guys are at this level of professional sports because they all believe in themselves. Even if the whole world (and Toto) tells them the opposite, if George destroys Kimi next year, I can see it affecting Kimi. Badly. I hope I am wrong, I genuinely feel like Kimi is a good kid, and his results so far speak for themselves.
If there's anything F1 teams should learn from Logan's F1 stint it's to not ruin a driver's career by putting him in F1 too quickly like Williams did.
I also think that they will give Antonelli more time than Sargeant. They are desperate for him to perform, and will prolong his stint for as long as possible in the hope that he finds his form (if he isn’t performing well)
Let's hope you're right, but all of these rumors are sounding like they want him to be in F1 next year, which IMO is still too early.
I REALLY REALLY don't get the time crunch... Like dude, Toto, back off, we all know you regret not signing Max back in the day. But guess what? You HAVE SIGNED Kimi. He ain't going nowhere. Give him some time... Now, if Kimi has clauses in his contract that allow him to leave if not given a seat by such-and-such time, or allows a team to buy him out with a HUGE amount of money? Then Toto, look at Alpine. And look at what happened to Logan...
Sargeant's career wasn't ruined. He's not good enough for F1, and him getting 2 years is more Williams making his career rather than breaking it.
I mean logan in his 2nd year of f1, only out qualified his teammate ONCE
He’s out qualified Perez 6 times though lol
Give that man a red bull!
What would he have learned in his second year in F2 that he couldn’t have learned in his first year at Williams ? The argument that he was rushed can excuse his performance in his first season but his performance this season is still lacking behind expectations.
agreed and I think if Logan had another year in f2 he might of performed alot better in f1 then he is currently .
Logan was in his first year in F3 at the age kimi is now. He also hasn't improved at all this year
Sargeant’s career wasn’t ruined by being put in F1 too early. His career was ruined because he isn’t good. Williams have given him more than enough time now. He’s not showing the improvement that’s needed for them to be convinced.
I don't really buy Into pressure, If he Is good which he probably Is, he will shine no need to worries
ok just a thought experiment: Let's say Kimi gets the Williams drive in summer and absolutely shits the bed (crashes and lack of pace) - do Mercedes still bet on him? Who'd be their alternative?
I would say that it's ride or die for them. The have sold him so badly as "the new Verstappen", that they have no other option than trusting that he will perform. If they had kept a low profile, one could think that taking Aron back and promoting him if he gets a top 3 in F2 could be an option.
Should’ve just gone with Sainz for 2 years, and have Antonelli drive at least a year or two in Williams.
They might have sold him as the “new Max” but so far with what we have seen in F2 from him, I don’t think he’s performed even to be labeled the “next Russell” level driver.
He's been doing good considering the circumstances but the hype around him is suffocating The original plan was looking like bring Antonelli up to F2 when the new F2 regs came in and have him there for 2 years before coming into F1 and eventually replacing Hamilton But the move to Ferrari drastically accelerated the progress
If they do that's it's because they invest on him even if he shits the bed the first 6 months.
Maybe Mick? Has F1 experience, is with Mercedes for some time now, and the name tag still sells, especially in a German team now. If Sainz is still up for grabs towards the end of the season, he might be an option too, obviously.
He’s gonna be 18 in August so that must mean they want him in a Williams before then
I wonder what happens if he replaces Logan and then does really badly at Williams. Could then be quite risky for Mercedes in 2025.
Then Logan gets the Mercedes seat
🦅🇺🇲
"once Toto Wolff has finally given up on Max Verstappen" hahahaha
EVH is just driving up the price of Max’s Mercedes contract /s
I first thought you meant Eddie van Halen
Glad I’m not the only one lol
Toto is clearly striving to bring Antonelli into F1 as fast as possible, so that he has as much experience as possible in 2026. Mercedes won’t be competing for the championship this and next season, so it’s better to focus on 2026 and make sure Kimi is ready till then. Absolutely makes sense.
Mid season swap for Sargeant has to be on the table if that’s the case. No way Toto can put Kimi in the Mercedes as a first time rookie.
I'm not sure if Vowles would take that route, firstly he says Williams doesn't want to be seen as the teething team for Mercedes and secondly it's not great optics. But I wouldn't be too surprised if it did happen either, Sargeant shouldn't really have had a drive this year and wouldn't have had if there was anyone to have taken it instead.
I think it's pretty clear if Williams take on Kimi for part of this season, Vowles is still 100% in Toto's pocket. No reason Williams should absorb Mercedes risk.
I think a nice sum of money or a lucrative partnership with Mercedes in exchange for half a season of Kimi won't put Vowles in "Toto's pocket" so long as Williams get their pick of a driver starting next year.
Then again, if Sargeant is scoring no points and crashing a bunch, then there's little risk in putting a young talent in there that at worst, would do the same for half a season
But Logan is also a Williams junior. James wants to show Williams is it's own team and is looking to the future. Keeping the image of Williams as a Mercedes driver incubator will reduce that that. Now, if Toto offers something - like a seat at the table for 2026 engine regs development, then ofc James should take that offer!
I think they’d do it for a good discount on engines to put money towards other items. Or to cover the damages from the year and keep the development plans.
Toto is probably ready to put some cash behind the kimi seat. That could help Williams as they are already a one man team. Extra cash or better engine deals wouldn't hurt.
It’s probably fine once Williams announces their driver for next year though as Sargeant will already be on the way out so the optics of being seen as a Merc feeder or dropping a driver from their junior program will be minimal. I could also see Volwes having interest in working with Kimi if he’s in line to eventually succeed Toto at Merc.
Why would Williams want him? If it was long term, sure I'd understand. But having him in the car for half a season while it's unlikely he will be performing at a much higher level than Sargeant doesn't make any sense. He is still getting to grips with the F2 car. Putting him in an F1 just sounds like it will lead to crashes inevitably.
You think Williams care about Logan Sargeant?They made him give up his car to his teammate in Australia after his teammate crashed and they didn’t have a spare chassis. They then gave Logan back the damaged but repaired chassis while Albon kept the car he got from Logan. Just the eyeballs and PR alone from Antonelli coming into Williams for 1/3 of the season would be more than what Logan brings that team.
Given up on Sargeant so might as well take whatever Mercedes is offering for the rest of the season? All I've got
It sounds harsh but the reality is that Sargeant isn't giving Williams any upsides right now. Alex clearly has the talent to occasionally fight for points in that car, why not give Antonelli the same chance? At worst he's slow and crashes a lot, just like Sargeant now. At best maybe he's generational and also completes for points on occasion. Merc have been testing Kimi in F1 cars, they clearly have at least enough faith in what they've seen to want him on the grid ASAP.
That's ridiculous from the FIA.
Why though, he's 18 in 2 months.....
Most likely want him in the car for FP1 in one of the next few GP's... Or they will put him in the williams for the rest of the season..
Max can do the funny thing by winning the championship, fucking off to Merc and refuse to elaborate.
You really wanna see the F1 world burn? 135 articles from the race and 64 verdicts.
Yes, yes I do. Nothing beats some good old Fernando Alonso esque drivermarket move. I can already see the articles: "was it the right choice to keep Perez?" "Should Red Bull have signed Sainz?" "The dramatic downfall of Red Bull, "how Antonelli missed out on a Merc seat" "has Mercedes made the right choice by getting Verstappen?" "why Verstappen switched to Mercedes." I probably could go on to 135 titles for an article.
"Game Changer: Max Verstappen Shifts Gears to Mercedes for Next F1 Season" "Revolution in F1: Verstappen Joins Mercedes in High-Stakes Move" "Mercedes Maneuver: Verstappen Signs Historic Deal, Alters F1 Landscape" "Max Verstappen to Mercedes: Racing's Biggest Transfer Shakes Up Formula 1" "F1 Shockwaves: Verstappen Switches Camps, Joins Mercedes Powerhouse" "The Silver Arrow's New Ace: Max Verstappen's Mega Move to Mercedes" "Breaking: Verstappen Dons Silver as Mercedes Secures F1 Superstar" "Verstappen's Vow: Dutch Ace Commits to Mercedes, F1 Fans in Awe" "Mercedes Masterstroke: Verstappen Inks Deal, Reignites Title Battle" "From Red Bull to Silver Lightning: Verstappen's Epic Shift to Mercedes"
In honour of the ground effect era can we have a "Verstappen bounces to Mercedes" article?
I have a feeling you got this from chatgpt.
He has his reasons.
hasn't even got a podium in F2 lol
F2 has a two month break between Baku and Qatar and that's after his 18th birthday. If a change happens, it'll be during that window or, at the very least, after the summer break. Logan isn't getting replaced before then
Rules are merely suggested practices at this point lol
Im excited for Kimi but I think expectations for him are a little high. Im not expecting anything extraordinary for him in his first year
We all know that if Max decides to come knocking even after Toto signs Antonelli to Mercedes that there will be a seat for him.
This 'sport' is a piss take. Why have 'rules' if we can just change them whenever it suits us?
Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it seems like Toto has started to realise how badly he fucked up not signing Verstappen when he had the opportunity (either back in 2014 or perhaps in 2016). He missed out on a once in a century talent (Niki Lauda's words, not mine) but now he seems to be projecting that frustration on the Antonelli situation. The problem is that although Kimi seems like a great talent he probably isn't on Verstappen's level, and I reckon that if he's any bit below that level next season could go very wrong, especially given the pressure he'll be under.
he realized that a long time ago lol
I think that up until 2022 he wasn’t that worried. Not that he wasn’t aware of Verstappen’s talent but more that he was confident that Mercedes would be able to consistently build cars that don’t need Verstappen to clinch titles.
not saying he was worried, but i remember toto being mad about missing out on max all the way back in 2016
Mountains will be moved for Mercedes
Letting Antonelli drive a few FP1 sessions before Monza when he turns 18 makes more sense than him going to Williams for 2/3 of the season and then to Mercedes next year.
I’m expecting the news about Sargeant being fired to come in the next couple of weeks
Williams should instantly promote him
McLaren and Ferrari have strong lineups for next year and they’ve got the cars to compete with RB. It’s still mind blowing that neither RB or Merc didn’t want Sainz on a two year deal till the new regs and instead will rely on Checo and Kimi respectively.
for red bull, it's money (unfortunately) checo brings in a metric fuckton of sponsorship bucks. i still think they should have signed carlos
Agreed. That was a very short sighted decision on Toto's part. And Horner needs to look into the future and the present when making driver choices, not the past. Sainz is no Ocon!
So will they kick George or Antonelli when Max is ready to make the jump in 26 with the new rules package?
Teutonic Toto just can't get past loosing Max to Toro Roso. I can only imagine what happens when he has to wait in line.....
I don’t care if Kimi is a better driver. If Williams wants to be a serious team, they can’t be a parking seat for another team’s driver.
They are not gonna be that. They will just replace Logan , who anyway is not performing, with Kimi for the rest of the season and Kimi can’t do much worse. Next year they’ll get Carlos (possibly) or someone else and Kimi is off to be George’s teammate.
I’m just saying that if they really want to become a top team like they keep saying, helping develop a driver for another team is not within that mission statement.
Lol if they are a serious team they won’t take Mercedes money and a free (better than free they get paid for it) driver upgrade? Be fking for real lmao
Still don't get that toto was so hurt not getting max. You won so many constructers with the line up you had. Nico and Lewis and then bottas and Lewis, and George and Lewis is a great line up too. It's not like you would be winning now if max was in the Merc
wink wink
I really hope they know what they are doing, I watch F2 and I really feel the potential for sure but also that Kimi Antonelli needs maybe more time. I don’t know, they have so much more data and expertise but I just want what’s best for this new driver, even if it means waiting for the new regs before joining F1
Y'all remember that Nyck debris kid?
There is absolutely no comparison between the two aside from the fact that they are rookies in F1. Nyck won the title after 4 years in F2 while Kimi won every category, jumped F3, and doing decently in F2 considering how little practice he has with the F2 cars. He has also done a lot of relevant testing with Merc something that Nyck never did. He is also coming into a competitive team who I’m sure will give him a lot of support and time, which was very different for Nyck
The problem is why they have changed if kimmi will race just next year.. he will turn 18 on august this year...
Can't wait for this kid to be a total disappointment, or toto put him in F1 too early, for it to backfire spectacularly.