Mercedes are taking a big risk banking on George Russell to lead the great team and promoting 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to Formula 1 to compensate for irreplaceable Lewis Hamilton's unexpected departure to Ferrari. Has team boss Toto Wolff made the right call?
The jury is still out, and this year will provide answers on whether 27-year-old Russell is the right driver to lead a big team like Mercedes. Unshackled now that Hamilton is gone, much is expected of George in 2025, kinda make or break. For now, he remains an unknown quantity in that role.
Mercedes (or rather, Wolff) could have opted for 30-year-old Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, ejected by Ferrari, seemed a logical choice. But Wolff has gone with his gut and opted to take a risk with rookie Antonelli—a decision that Jacques Villeneuve predicts may backfire.
Villeneuve: Antonelli had a terrible season in Formula 2
The 1997 F1 World Champion believes the Italian teenager will struggle in F1 so early in his career: "It's too much too soon. Kimi Antonelli had a terrible season in Formula 2. Is it because he was already signed for F1 and the pressure got the better of him? Who knows?
"Or maybe he didn't like that kind of car, and maybe it’s better for him to be in a Formula 1 car. These are all question marks that we will find out very quickly, very soon. He seems to be capable of taking risks and pushing the car, but as for feeling where that edge is, we don't know yet. And how does he work over a full season developing and evolving the car?" questioned Villeneuve.
The experienced side of the garage is where Russell will operate, and the dynamic between him and the young gun next door is uncertain, reckons Villeneuve: "How will the balance be between him and Russell? Will they work hand in hand with similar driving styles, or will they have completely opposite driving styles, which would make it difficult for the team to evolve the car in a direction that pleases both drivers?"
Bottas is Mercedes’ insurance policy if Antonelli struggles
"The jury is out on Antonelli, but so many people in the media want him to be amazing. I hope he is because if not, it will be a very heavy load for him to carry—a lot of pressure on his shoulders," ventured the 53-year-old Canadian.
Notably, Wolff has a 'safety net' in the shrewd re-signing of Valtteri Bottas, who helped the team to five F1 Constructors' world titles while he was there. As Wolff once said, he is "F1's greatest wingman" to Hamilton. The experienced Finn should not be sitting out a season when drivers far less capable have drives.
But Bottas is clearly there to bail out Antonelli if Wolff's 'experiment' fails. Villeneuve continued on the subject: "Is Valtteri Bottas really better? It doesn't matter if he has more experience—if you look at last season, if you're not quick, you're not quick.
"They've taken a risk and gambled based on something they deeply wanted, rather than results from last year. They've made the decision, and they will make sure that that decision works out. It’s more that they have decided what the outcome should be, so they will try to make sure that this outcome happens."
Villeneuve: Mercedes emotionally invested in Antonelli's success
Villeneuve pointed out: "Toto took Antonelli on when he was 12, when they started financing his karting career. It's a long relationship that started then, and when you take a 12-year-old under your wing, it's like a father-son relationship. That builds up over time, and if that happens, the thought process can become a little skewed.
"You want it to happen, so I don't know. He's definitely been competitive and super quick in every category except for Formula 2, so that's something we will have to find out.
"They've been heavily invested in him financially for so many years too. It's hard to reach the point where you think, 'Oh, maybe he's not good enough.' No, hold on—we've invested so much into this that he must be good.
"There's a little bit of that in the process. And he has everything in his hands to prove that he's good. Out of all those years, he's had one average season, which was Formula 2 last year. So let's hope that that was the odd season," concluded Villeneuve.
(Quotes: YaySweepstakes.com)
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