George Russell on the possibility of Antonelli as a Mercedes teammate
Mercedes driver George Russell has given his views on Andrea Kimi Antonelli potentially being his Mercedes teammate in 2025.
George Russell sees the prospect of teaming up with Andrea Kimi Antonelli as a great opportunity for Mercedes to project themselves into the future in 2025. The identity of Russell’s teammate for the next season is still uncertain following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari.
Kimi Antonelli is a junior driver from Mercedes, who is currently in Formula 2, is considered to be at the top of Mercedes’ list. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has publicly revealed that signing Max Verstappen was the number 1 option.
It seems increasingly likely that Verstappen will stay at Red Bull at least until 2025, thus paving the way for Antonelli to get the seat. The Italian driver has already received support from Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion declaring at Imola that he would choose the 17-year-old if he were in Wolff’s place.
In the press conference, George Russell gave his opinion on the possibility of teaming up with Antonelli next year.
« I think Kimi is a fantastic driver,” said the British driver. « Obviously, he competes in Formula 2 this year but he will undoubtedly become a Formula 1 driver in the future. He is also a junior driver, like me, who has climbed the ranks with the team. I think this represents a great opportunity for Mercedes to look into the future but, as I said before, I welcome anyone as a teammate, ».
Mercedes is not in a hurry to make a decision on the vacant seat, it could be taken by the summer.
