Martin Brundle reveals why he thinks Mercedes haven’t announced Kimi Antonelli’s new F1 contract

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Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are still waiting to formally discover their Formula 1 fate beyond 2025.

George Russell won the fifth race of his Formula 1 career at the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and both McLaren drivers.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli came home in fifth after starting from P4, but managed to get ahead of both Ferrari drivers before Lewis Hamilton’s brake issues.

Hamilton was delighted for Russell after he emulated his iconic celebrations from 2018, and the British driver is now within 100 points of drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri, even if the title is surely out of reach at this stage.

One of the biggest talking points coming out of Toto Wolff’s camp is the fact that neither of his drivers have signed new contracts yet.

Wolff verbally suggested in Singapore that their deals are done, but Martin Brundle and Jenson Button had a theory about why an official announcement hasn’t been made yet.

Antonelli and Russell are entering the final races of their current Mercedes deal, and while Russell is still negotiating terms, his rookie teammate should be all set.

However, there might be a reason out of Antonelli’s control that’s delaying his new contract from being signed.

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

Martin Brundle says Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes contract won’t be signed until George Russell is confirmed

Brundle was speaking on Sky Sports F1 (5/10 12:19 pm) ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, and discussing Antonelli’s recent form, he said: “He’s going really well, isn’t he? He’s weathered the storm, and he’s kept his head; his head didn’t spiral.

“The team have really put a lot of support around him. He’s shown the talent he needs.

“He will be in the car next year, they just don’t want to announce it yet because that would just create a million questions of, ‘So, what’s happening to George?’

“But, they’ll announce Kimi and George at the same time.”

Button replied: “It’s a great line-up. Obviously, Kimi is still very young.

“He probably did more laps in an F1 car compared to any other F1 driver last year. So, he started it on a very good high, and you expect to see him improve throughout the year.

“We haven’t seen that so much, but the last two races, I feel he’s upped his game a little bit, and you’ve got to think he’s alongside George, who’s at his best right now.”

READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

Martin Brundle shares what the ‘hold up’ is on George Russell’s contract during Singapore GP win

Brundle was discussing Russell’s contract during their Sky Sports commentary (5/10 2:27 pm) of Sunday’s race and explained: “It’s rather complicated there, isn’t it? They’re his managers as well as his employers, which is what the hold up is.”

His co-commentator David Croft added: “Well, let’s just hope that common sense prevails and they get that sorted because on the track, I think he’s having a splendid season, I really do, and called in to step up and start to lead that team as a driver after the departure of Lewis Hamilton.

“For me, he’s done exactly that.”

Russell shared when he ‘realistically’ expects progress to be made in talks with Mercedes, but was assured in his notion that he’s in no rush to put pen to paper.

It’s believed that Russell wants his wage to match Lando Norris’ in his new deal, something Wolff isn’t keen on.

The McLaren driver could win the drivers’ championship this year, and Mercedes will argue that Russell hasn’t reached that level yet.

However, Russell’s counterpoint would likely be that Mercedes haven’t given him a car capable of challenging for titles yet, and his win in Singapore highlights just how competitive he is.