Martin Brundle made one Kimi Antonelli prediction ahead of the 2025 F1 season that has already turned out to be untrue

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Mercedes took the bold step of replacing arguably the greatest racing driver in the history of Formula 1 with an 18-year-old rookie at the start of the 2025 season.

As Lewis Hamilton departed Mercedes after 12 seasons and six drivers’ championships, a new talent was handed an unbelievable opportunity.

After rising through the ranks of karting and single-seater racing at an almost unprecedented speed, Andrea Kimi Antonelli became the third-youngest driver to race in Formula 1 at the Australian Grand Prix.

The weekend didn’t start as brightly as he would have liked, only qualifying 16th and missing out on Q2 while his teammate George Russell was challenging for pole position.

However, one of the wettest races in modern F1 followed, and while many of his rookie counterparts couldn’t handle the conditions, Antonelli thrived, recording a remarkable fourth-place finish.

From there, Antonelli has gone from strength to strength, and after five race weekends, he currently sits above Hamilton in the standings.

It makes one claim that Martin Brundle made about him before the season commenced look slightly ridiculous.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

Martin Brundle claimed Mercedes would be a ‘one-horse team’ in 2025 before Kimi Antonelli’s F1 debut

At the start of the 2025 campaign, six teams lined up with drivers who were competing in their first full Formula 1 seasons.

They varied in experience and expectation, but Antonelli and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson looked the most likely to score regular points.

While Lawson found Red Bull’s car impossible to drive, Antonelli has more than produced his fair share of strong performances for the Silver Arrows.

Brundle suggested Mercedes could be a one-horse team in 2025 while speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of the season starting, stating, “To an extent, Mercedes will be a one-horse team with George Russell there.

“They’ve got Kimi Antonelli, who we know is expected to be spectacularly good, but he’ll make mistakes as a new 18-year-old.”

Brundle was immediately impressed with Antonelli in Australia, and the Italian went on to break two of Max Verstappen’s records in Japan.

The teenager is still waiting to record his first podium in Formula 1, and while he’s a step behind Russell right now, it’s not unrealistic to think the Italian flag will grace the rostrum once again sooner rather than later.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Kimi Antonelli already turning heads at Mercedes during his debut F1 season

Antonelli is driving a car that’s currently sitting somewhere between the second and fourth-quickest machine on the grid right now, meaning he should be scoring points at virtually every race this season.

He’s only missed out once so far this year, and while he didn’t have his cleanest weekend in Bahrain, his strategy also played a part in the 18-year-old finishing 11th.

However, there are signs that Mercedes are already getting very excited about their latest talent.

The Mercedes garage loved his move on Verstappen in Bahrain, and while it didn’t lead to a top-10 finish, it demonstrated that he’s not afraid of racing anyone on the grid.

Antonelli has already been compared to Oscar Piastri who looks equally unflappable at this early stage of his career.

He needs to continue taking steps forward and is still very early on in his F1 career, but there’s no way that Mercedes can be considered a one-horse team based on his early performances.