Karun Chandhok tells ‘very talented’ F1 driver he has ‘not met the expectations’ this season

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With 10 races to go in the 2025 Formula 1 season, some drivers are still fighting to secure their futures.

It means that, unusually, the Formula 1 driver market is still alive after the summer break, with seats at Red Bull, Mercedes, and Alpine yet to be decided.

The Silver Arrows have two seats open still, which is especially strange just a matter of months before the 2026 F1 regulations.

While George Russell should be safe, his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli continues to struggle in the second seat, leaving some to question whether his promotion came too soon.

Toto Wolff could break one Russell promise by waiting until after the Italian Grand Prix to announce what will happen with his future.

However, the team may see one clear reason why Antonelli deserves a longer contract than Russell, despite how much stronger the Briton has been in 2025. He has clear upside.

READ MORE: F1 team chief reveals Mercedes ‘offered’ them the chance to sign Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season

Karun Chandhok tells Kimi Antonelli he has ‘not met the expectations’ at Mercedes in 2025

Wolff gave a mysterious answer about Antonelli’s future, and it’s hard to see where they lie currently. Having given him a one-year deal last year, he hasn’t exactly earned an extension yet.

But the reason for the delay in announcing their line-up may be down to Mercedes’ ‘frantic desire’ for Antonelli. They want him to be like Sebastian Vettel and replicate his level of success.

Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok has now told the Italian driver that he thinks he has failed to meet the ‘expectations’ of his team in 2025, despite having a lot of talent.

“I just want to be clear, I think he is very talented. I think if I look at what he has done in karting [and] you look at his junior career, F2 last year was a bit strange,” he said.

“He was teammates with Bearman, and they both had a bad season. I think the team struggled last year a little bit. I think there’s raw talent there, but what’s quite clear, I think, is that it has not met the expectations.

“The fact that he’s, on average, been nearly three-tenths off George so far this season, if you include the Sprint Qualifyings, I think it’s only Miami that he’s beaten George. At no other track has he been ahead of George, and I think that’s something that the team will be taking on board.”

READ MORE: Toto Wolff ruled out Kimi Antonelli loan after seeing another Mercedes talent lose his F1 seat

What reason does Mercedes have to wait until the Italian Grand Prix to announce their driver line-up?

It was at the Italian Grand Prix last year that Mercedes confirmed Antonelli would be their driver for 2025 in his home country.

That was despite an embarrassing off in an FP1 session where he was tasked with driving Lewis Hamilton’s car.

A repeat of the announcement on home soil might be nice for Mercedes, but it also offers them more time to assess where his performance lies.

There’s not exactly anyone who could step into his seat available, having scored one point in eight races outside of his podium in Canada, he needs to show some more promise.

Russell revealed ‘what people don’t see’ about Antonelli and claims that his pace has been right on par with his this year, but it still begs the question of why they haven’t been confirmed sooner.