David Coulthard gives one reason why he’s unsure about Mercedes promoting Kimi Antonelli next year

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Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025. His rivals for the seat have now been removed.

Mercedes made an offer to Carlos Sainz, but they were only prepared to take him for one year while Antonelli developed. It appears negotiations went no further, and Sainz signed for Williams earlier in the summer.

Max Verstappen is also staying at Red Bull for 2025. Toto Wolff held out hope of signing the reigning world champion for as long as he could, but he’s accepted defeat for the moment.

Antonelli has now signed his Mercedes contract, committing for multiple years. He turns 18 this weekend and will become one of the youngest drivers in F1 history.

The Italian has still yet to complete a full season in Formula 2 but is due to succeed the sport’s most decorated driver. Wolff sees Antonelli as the next Verstappen but this remains a huge gamble.

With four rounds remaining, including his home race at Monza, he sits seventh in the championship. Prema have largely disappointed this year, but he’s still managed to pick up two victories.

David Coulthard unsure if Kimi Antonelli is ‘mature’ enough for Formula 1

Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard expressed his doubts about Antonelli. He accepts that he has the talent, but he may lack the ‘maturity’.

Coulthard pointed out that even Verstappen is still learning in this regard, nearly a decade after his F1 debut. The Dutchman came under fire for a series of furious radio outbursts at the Hungarian GP last month.

Mercedes’ initial plan may have been to ease Antonelli into F1 in an environment with less pressure. George Russell spent three years at Williams before he graduated to the top team.

But Hamilton’s shock Ferrari move accelerated the timeline. Antonelli could conceivably be driving a championship-worthy car in his debut campaign.

Coulthard said: “I do think that there is the risk that it’s not about whether he’s got the driving capability – clearly he’s very talented. But it’s about the mental maturity.

“Even Max at 26 with all these years in Formula 1 will continue to mature. I think 30s is the peak time for Formula 1 drivers in that respect.”

Why David Croft thinks Mercedes shouldn’t promote Kimi Antonelli for 2025

Coulthard isn’t the only one concerned about Antonelli. Sky Sports F1’s David Croft aired his misgivings too.

Croft suggested Mercedes should have held Antonelli back, keeping him in F2 for another year and allowing him to drive the 2026 car on the simulator. The sport will see major regulation changes in 18 months, so the commentator questioned the wisdom of promoting the teenager now.

Antonelli will get his first taste of the 2024 machinery when he drives in FP1 at the Italian GP later this month. Should Mercedes afford him a low-fuel run, his lap times will come under intense scrutiny.

Up to this point, he’s only been able to test the 2021 and 2022 cars under the regulations. Antonelli has already worked with Peter Bonnington in these outings ahead of their anticipated partnership.