Kimi Antonelli and Toto Wolff, Monza

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Mercedes officially announced Andrea Kimi Antonelli as its driver for 2025 on Saturday. The 18-year-old, set to be one of the youngest drivers in the sport’s history, will have all eyes peeled on him with massive expectations placed on his shoulders. Wolff, on the F1: Chequered Flag Podcast, spoke about these.

Antonelli’s impending rookie season is already generating a lot of buzz. Wolff admitted that excitement will be in store, but, also hinted at the possibility of him making several mistakes throughout 2025.

“Probably we will see some very good races and highlights in the first season,” he said. “On the other side, we will also see some front wings that will be missing after turn 1.” 

A dream come true for Kimi ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HpJeZm23YU

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) August 31, 2024

Wolff added that F1 cars are complicated with several switches, something Antonelli will have to get used to. However, he added, “We acknowledge that there’s a young driver with a lot of ability. That’s our hope, to have two drivers that are really strong.”

The weight of expectations will be strong, because of the hype surrounding Antonelli. Regarded as one of the biggest talents in motorsports, the youngster skipped F3 to get a direct F2 entry this season. However, he is still prone to mistakes, as evidenced by his FP1 crash in Monza on Friday.

Wolff, however, does not want to put a leash on Antonelli and urges him to try and be as fast as he was leading up to his incident in practice. Meanwhile, George Russell would have to assume the role of team leader from 2025 onwards.

More responsibilities for Russell

When Russell came to Mercedes in 2022, Lewis Hamilton was the main man on the team and tasked with bearing more responsibilities. Russell meanwhile, took his time to get familiar with the team and its workings.

Now it will be time for Russell to do the same for Antonelli. He has to set the standards and keep his team competitive, as it may take some months for Antonelli to adjust to the world of F1, even if he is in a winning outfit.

Kimi and George What are we calling this duo, Team… pic.twitter.com/ZMa1gCVYsG

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) August 31, 2024

If the Silver Arrows do field a competitive car, Mercedes won’t expect Antonelli to fight for wins and podiums in every race. The weight of responsibilities would be on Russell instead.