Ralf Schumacher worried that ‘poorly prepared’ driver needs to improve urgently to avoid F1 exit

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Ralf Schumacher has identified one driver who needs to improve his performance sharply if he wishes to race in Formula 1 for a ‘long time’.

The F1 driver market has yet to kick into action this season, with only the confirmation of both Cadillac drivers giving fans something to get excited about.

Red Bull have three decisions to make across the main team and Racing Bulls, and Alpine have to decide whether to retain Franco Colapinto despite his pointless 2025 campaign.

The other team where there is still some potential for a late driver swap is Mercedes.

F1 Oversteer understands Mercedes could offer George Russell a one-year deal as they do everything in their power to convince Max Verstappen to join them in 2027.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is expected to be retained alongside George Russell, although his form has been shaky to say the least.

Guenther Steiner has urged Mercedes to swap Antonelli for a Williams driver to help him adapt to F1 out of the spotlight.

Ralf Schumacher has also shared his thoughts on the 19-year-old, pinpointing what’s going wrong for Antonelli, what he needs to do to rectify the situation, and the consequences if he doesn’t.

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

Ralf Schumacher worried ‘poorly prepared’ Kimi Antonelli ‘urgently needs to get a grip’ at Mercedes

Schumacher was speaking on the Formel 1 YouTube channel, and speaking about Antonelli, he explained: “I believe that he was poorly prepared, and above all, poorly presented to the public.

“Toto Wolff tried to protect him on the one hand, but of course, he often said that the next star was coming, and the expectations were simply too high.

“If I compare that now with Piastri, he was better, of course, and perhaps came in differently with even better or similar preparation, but not quite as strong as his teammate.

“The only thing that bothers me a little bit at the moment is that Kimi certainly has the speed, but Franz Tost would say that sometimes the car drives him and not the other way around.

“That’s why he’s making so many mistakes. I think he’s trying to improve a bit too quickly at the moment, because he’s someone who, as we’ve seen all year, needs time.

“He starts cautiously and keeps improving, and Formula 1 is not a walk in the park, so he has to go a bit faster, and I think he’s trying to do that with a bit more, let’s say, courage, and that’s why he’s making all these mistakes.

“He urgently needs to get a grip on this. If he doesn’t get a grip on it, I don’t think his future will be very long, because then the internal headwinds at Mercedes will naturally become significant.

“Then we could reconsider whether he might be a good fit for Alpine or something like that, a smaller team where he would have a bit more peace and quiet.”

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

Mercedes urged to make Andrea Kimi Antonelli decision imminently as speculation mounts

Antonelli started the season well, scoring points in five of his first six races and taking pole position in the Sprint Race in Miami.

However, since his home race at Imola, Antonelli has only secured three points finishes, and he’s fallen behind Alex Albon in the drivers’ championship.

David Croft has urged Mercedes to confirm Antonelli’s 2026 contract to allow him to concentrate fully on his racing rather than worrying about his future.

He’s now set to tackle eight tracks where he will have very little experience, but that seemed to suit him at the start of the season.

Schumacher isn’t worried that Antonelli won’t be on the grid in 2026, but a poor start next year will put him immediately on the back foot, with Mercedes internally expecting a lot from the teenager.