Mercedes won’t ‘bring the best’ out of Kimi Antonelli if they keep telling him one thing about George Russell

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is preparing to replace seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after being fast-tracked up the junior ladder.

The Italian had a superb junior career and won the Italian F4 and FRECA titles before being moved straight into Formula 2 and skipping FIA F3.

Antonelli is being thrown straight into a team that will likely compete for podiums and race wins next year, which could be a challenge.

The new Mercedes driver isn’t taking the more conventional route into Formula 1, which can be a year on the sidelines as a reserve driver or a stint in the midfield.

His new teammate, George Russell, spent three years at Williams before stepping into the Mercedes team in 2022 and competing alongside Hamilton.

As he is racing at the front, Antonelli will be under pressure immediately when the lights go out at Albert Park to kick off the season at the Australian Grand Prix rather than being nearer the back.

Peter Windsor explained that Antonelli may be behind Russell at times during his rookie season in Formula 1, and Mercedes will not maximise his potential if they tell him certain things about his teammate.

Mercedes may make life confusing if they tell Andrea Kimi Antonelli too much about George Russell’s driving

Antonelli is highly rated, and Mercedes have supported the Italian driver throughout much of his career on the junior ladder.

They will have to manage him carefully as he is already the youngest driver on the grid, with many expectations on his shoulders.

READ MORE: What ’emotional’ Lewis Hamilton said in handwritten note to Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli

The 18-year-old may have a very different driving style to his teammate, and Windsor feels Mercedes needs to try not to tell their new driver too much information to confuse him.

Windsor said on his YouTube channel: “I don’t think he’ll be as quick as George, certainly in year one. He may have a few more issues in terms of staying on the road. I suspect that because he has got this natural, slightly earlier turn in than George, but George will be quicker. I suspect there’ll be a lot of, ‘Oh, well, this is where George is braking. This is where George is putting on the power.

“This is where George’s steering input begins, and it’ll probably get quite confusing for him because I can’t imagine anybody at Mercedes is saying, ‘We’ve got this jewel of a driver who is an early turn in, shorter corner driver than George. Isn’t that brilliant?

“We’ve got to bring the best out in him.’ I don’t think, imagine they’ll be doing that at all. They’ll be saying, ‘Oh, he’s three-tenths slower here, 0.1 slower there, 0.1 quicker here.’

He has experienced an F1 car on a race weekend, which will help Antonelli adjust, but it didn’t go to plan on the weekend he was announced as a Mercedes driver at the Italian Grand Prix.

The Italian may have the potential to be a race-winning Formula 1 driver, but Antonelli crashed on his debut in FP1 in Italy as he was on the limit.

In his second practice session, he also drove in a much more measured outing in Mexico, keeping the car on the track as he learnt a new circuit.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will have a lot to learn very quickly next season

It is rare to see a young driver thrown straight into a top car as the pressure is so significant at the front of the field while challenging for wins.

Antonelli has caught the attention of McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who feels the Mercedes driver will be very competitive in 2025.

Getting the attention of other teams shows they have concerns Antonelli will be fast, but he will have to learn a lot of new tracks, such as Suzuka and the Las Vegas Strip Circuit.

This may slow down the Mercedes driver’s learning process slightly as he also deals with a much higher level of competition.

If it goes wrong, Mercedes may have their former driver, Valtteri Bottas, as a backup just in case Antonelli struggles.