Christian Danner says everyone in the F1 paddock is asking the same question about Kimi Antonelli

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Lewis Hamilton’s victory during Sunday’s British Grand Prix created all the headlines but there was another Mercedes driver who caught the eye over the course of the weekend.

George Russell will be disappointed he couldn’t convert his pole position into at least a podium finish after a technical fault with his car.

However, it was in the Formula 2 Sprint Race that fans finally saw why Mercedes are so excited about young driver Kimi Antonelli.

The 17-year-old Italian has risen quickly through the ranks of karting and junior single-seater racing, skipping Formula 3 entirely after winning the FRECA title last year.

Mercedes are considering promoting Antonelli into Lewis Hamilton’s seat for next season.

It would be the final step in his monumental rise to the top of the world of motorsport but it would also put huge pressure on the teenager.

Antonelli has more than matched PREMA teammate Oliver Bearman in F2 this year despite the Brit’s extra year of experience at that level.

He’ll be racing in F1 next year with Haas, although the amount of scrutiny and pressure on racing for a midfield team is very different to replacing a seven-time world champion in a potentially race-winning car.

Former F1 driver Christian Danner was speaking on Motorsport-Magazin’s YouTube channel about the 17-year-old.

Danner admitted that the entire Formula 1 paddock are now asking the same question about Antonelli.

It will be interesting to see when Mercedes decide to give the world of motorsport their answer on just how fast he is.

READ MORE: Who is Mercedes academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything you need to know

Christian Danner says F1 paddock are all wondering just how good Kimi Antonelli is

Talking about the future Mercedes line-up, Danner said: “I’ll say that there are a lot of components involved.

“How good is Kimi Antonelli really, it’s not just us who are asking ourselves this question, but the entire Formula 1 paddock and also the entire world of motorsport.

“OK, now at Silverstone he was good, but if someone drives around so carefully at the back of the grid, is that the right man to put in a Mercedes?

“But the advantage of Kimi is that you can put the decision off for as long as you want.”

Danner goes on to say that he could see Mercedes waiting until after the Abu Dhabi test to make their final decision given the flexibility Antonelli offers the team and how Sainz appears to be happy to wait before making a final call on his future.

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

Mercedes have another driver on their radar to replace Lewis Hamilton

There are plenty of drivers in the Formula 1 paddock who know how important the next two races are for their careers.

Sergio Perez is under increasing pressure at Red Bull and RB driver Daniel Ricciardo is driving for his future as well.

However, Formula 2 will also be racing at the Hungaroring and Spa and it’s four more races for Antonelli to make an impression.

His drive in the Sprint Race at Silverstone was very impressive, with drivers around him struggling in difficult conditions, he built a huge gap at the front of the pack.

Antonelli was taken out in the Feature Race before he could make any impression on the race, but he’ll be hoping people at Mercedes took notice of his performance the day before.