Martin Brundle questions why Mercedes didn’t make Kimi Antonelli decision that Toto Wolff was completely against

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli has learned how brutal Formula 1 can be over the past few races.

The high of securing his first podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix has been quickly erased by his performances on either side of his weekend in Montreal.

Mercedes would have hoped a return to Spa, where Kimi Antonelli has driven in the past would have given him the boost he needed.

Unfortunately, the Belgian Grand Prix proved to be one of the team’s worst performances of the season, with George Russell also frustrated throughout the weekend.

Both drivers failed to make it to the top 10 shootout for the Sprint Race after Antonelli’s spin in the first session.

The Italian was eliminated again in Q1 for Sunday’s race, leading to another pointless weekend with overtaking proving difficult at Spa.

Antonelli is still waiting to sign a new Mercedes deal, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Commentator and former driver Martin Brundle has spoken about the 18-year-old’s recent difficulties and questioned one decision team principal Toto Wolff made before his Formula 1 debut.

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Martin Brundle wonders why Kimi Antonelli wasn’t loaned out before joining Mercedes

Brundle was reflecting on Sunday’s race at Spa for Sky Sports F1 and said: “Kimi Antonelli is having a torrid time in the sister Merc.

“He’s only scored points once in the last seven GPs (a podium in Canada), and it’s not too difficult to observe that he’s really feeling that pressure on his very young shoulders.

“He’s lucky because he’s effectively a protected species at the team and won’t be living in fear of his career like a Red Bull youngster, but the summer break can’t come early enough for him, I suspect.

“I still wonder why they didn’t give Kimi a couple of years to learn his trade in a lesser spotlight as they did with George Russell.

“He’s a generational talent, as my Sky colleague Nico Rosberg would say, but they can’t let his head spiral.”

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Why Mercedes didn’t loan out Kimi Antonelli before replacing Lewis Hamilton

Antonelli currently sits seventh in the drivers’ championship, but the gap to Russell has grown to 94 points after 13 race weekends.

Williams driver Alex Albon is quickly catching him, having scored points on four occasions in the last seven races.

Antonelli has been linked with a loan move to Alpine for next season, amid Mercedes’ interest in signing Max Verstappen.

However, Verstappen looks set to stay at Red Bull for 2026, meaning Wolff would have to make a remarkable decision in the F1 driver market not to retain the teenager.

Wolff admitted loaning Russell to Williams for three years was his biggest regret while managing the British driver’s career, and had no interest in Antonelli following the same path when he was rising through the ranks.

Naomi Schiff has questioned whether a lack of confidence is Antonelli’s problem, with the car appearing to take a step backwards since the latest updates were installed.

Only time will tell whether Wolff has made the right choice to promote Antonelli so rapidly, but he needs the upcoming summer break desperately to reset and attack the last 10 race weekends of his maiden campaign.