Vital detail in Kimi Antonelli’s 2025 Mercedes contract could be bad news for George Russell

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Kimi Antonelli has now signed his contract to race for Mercedes in 2025, according to a report. It’s unclear when the team will make it official, though the Italian Grand Prix weekend could be the perfect time.

Antonelli has long been the overwhelming favourite to replace Lewis Hamilton. Carlos Sainz also had an outside chance after leaving Ferrari, but he’s now signed for Williams instead.

Mercedes’ move for Max Verstappen ‘fell through’, but Antonelli always seemed destined to race for the Silver Arrows eventually. According to Formu1a.uno, he’s now formalised the agreement.

Toto Wolff may have planned a more gradual rise. That could have involved a second season in Formula 2, or a year at customer team Williams – the route taken by George Russell.

Wolff wasn’t shocked by Hamilton’s exit, or so he says, but it appears to have accelerated the timeline for Antonelli. Set to turn 18 on the day of the Dutch Grand Prix, he’ll be the youngest driver on the F1 grid.

The Italian has won four single-seater titles during his rise up the ladder and recently claimed his first two F2 wins in Great Britain and Hungary. He entered the summer break a respectable seventh in the championship.

Kimi Antonelli signs multi-year Mercedes deal amid Max Verstappen interest

Antonelli’s Mercedes contract runs for multiple years. Given the risky nature of the signing and the potential availability of Verstappen in 2026, Wolff could have opted for a 12-month deal instead.

But it seems he’s fully committed to Antonelli long-term. And this could be bad news for Russell.

Russell’s Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2025. If Mercedes were to sign Verstappen, Antonelli would be the only driver with that layer of protection.

Verstappen can leave Red Bull ahead of the 2026 regulation changes and doubts around the RBPT project could push him towards the exit door. Wolff will almost certainly pounce, but it’s long been clear that this would necessitate a brutal decision at Mercedes.

Where could George Russell go if he leaves Mercedes?

Russell could find himself in a similar position to Sainz. The Spaniard didn’t lose his Ferrari seat because of anything he did wrong per se, but because seven-time world champion Hamilton was available.

Likewise, Russell has been a successful signing for Mercedes since his arrival in 2022. He’s won two Grands Prix, scored three pole positions and bagged 12 podiums, all while stacking up well against Hamilton.

But Verstappen is unquestionably on another level. And with Mercedes viewing Antonelli as their own Charles Leclerc, the parallels to the Ferrari situation are clear.

Audi are already monitoring Russell, aware that he may be on the market ahead of their arrival in 2026. That would be a long-term project, but their manufacturer status may appeal.