Great debate: What should Mercedes do to fix its struggling rookie Antonelli?

Nothing for now – Jake Boxall-Legge

Does Mercedes really need to do anything? Probably not. Rookie seasons should be treated as an opportunity to learn and grow, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli should simply be afforded the support necessary to pick himself up from any errors.

While he has endured difficult form of late, it’s no secret that the lack of consistency with the W16’s rear suspension package has made it difficult to adapt to the car – hence the decision to revert to the old model. 

As much as people like to contend that rookies entering F1 should be the complete package, that’s never going to be the case. Even with days of Testing of Previous Cars programmes helping young drivers adapt to the rigours of modern F1, those tests are not particularly analogous to grand prix weekends without the pressure-cooker environment and in running Pirelli’s ‘academy’ tyres.

Antonelli could run in the W13 to his heart’s content over 2024, but coping with the demands of an F1 race requires a very different approach indeed. 

If there’s an example in exercising patience with a driver, let’s take Oscar Piastri. In 2023, the Australian had impressive races for McLaren as he looked to make an impact on F1, but he also made his share of mistakes. He also needed time to get on top of matching Lando Norris in the realms of race management. Now? Well, he’s leading the world championship…

As of now, there’s no cause for Mercedes to even consider pressing the panic button. Let Antonelli blossom, support him, ensure he knows where the limit is and how to reach it without going beyond, and the results should follow naturally. 

A metaphorical (and literal) arm around the shoulder is at the core of that will help Antonelli

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Show him the love – Kevin Turner

This blip was entirely predictable. Antonelli is only 18, skipped Formula 3 and, in an ideal world, Mercedes wouldn’t have promoted him to F1 until next year at the earliest. Yes, Max Verstappen was younger and had done even fewer single-seater seasons, but F1 cars in 2025 are much bigger beasts than they were in 2015. 

Having George Russell as his team-mate means Antonelli also being compared to one of the top three or four performers in F1, a tougher gig than the rest of this year’s rookie crop.

The pressures of being in F1 are on an entirely different level to what he has experienced before. Now is the time to put a metaphorical (or literal) arm around his shoulder, then give him the support and space to work things out. Mercedes needs to show it has confidence in him whatever anyone else says.

The noise around Toto Wolff talking to Verstappen likely didn’t help in that regard. While you could argue it was his job to explore options with the four-time world champion, it’s hard to see how that dynamic could really work. It’s best for everyone at Mercedes to get back to focusing on the here and now.

Antonelli has shown enough, both in his junior career and with 2025 flashes such as his Miami sprint pole, that he is a special talent. Just how special remains to be seen, but now is not the time to be passing that judgement. 

Miami sprint pole a high point of the season so far and an obvious indicator of what Antonelli is capable of delivering

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Keep calm and look to 2026 – Stuart Codling

History doesn’t document the precise point at which Julius Caesar uttered the phrase “Alea iacta est” as he led his troops across the Rubicon, or even whether he said it at all. But for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and his protege Antonelli, it’s fair to say they’re at least knee deep in river water and the die is very much cast. At least Caesar was riding a horse.

Just as the factory-based engineers have now pivoted towards the new ruleset coming in 2026, it’s time for Antonelli to do the same. The next-generation cars will require a completely different driving style and the majority of the grid will have to unlearn old habits. That process represents a key opportunity for Antonelli.

Various commentators are now saying he was promoted “too soon”. Whether that’s true or not, it’s too late to change. ‘Benching’ him, whether for the rest of the season or for 2026, would destroy his confidence and deny him an opportunity to learn and improve.

And with whom would you replace him? Mick Schumacher? Antonelli may have scored a mere third of the points tally of George Russell but at least he hasn’t incurred a massive repair bill.

Antonelli and Mercedes are still going through a development process – not just in terms of driving the car, but how to optimise his mindset to deliver on track. Surrounding him with distractions, as with family and schoolfriends arriving en masse at Imola, are very public mistakes from which both team and driver need to learn.

Antonelli requires the right support so he can optimise his mindset to deliver on track – so distractions need to be minimised

Photo by: Lars Baron / Motorsport Images

Stop looking elsewhere – Oleg Karpov

I don’t think Toto Wolff needs much advice on what to do with his driver line-up. Giving Antonelli his F1 chance so soon probably wasn’t part of the original plan, but Wolff needed to improvise when Lewis Hamilton informed him of his decision to depart for Maranello.

Has the outside world seen enough evidence of Antonelli’s alleged exceptional talent? Definitely not. Ultimately, only Wolff knows if the first half of 2025 made him doubt his belief in Antonelli’s potential.

Whatever the answer, it’s too late to back down now. Given all the pressure Antonelli is under, it’s not surprising that he’s struggling – he’s only 18, after all. If Wolff is still convinced, the only thing he can do is help by releasing as much pressure as possible so Antonelli can concentrate on learning and developing.

This won’t be easy given all the media attention, and perhaps the speculation surrounding Wolff’s interest in Max Verstappen’s services hasn’t helped.

The prospect of Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2026 is no longer an issue, which should help refocus attention on the sport. However, this could probably have been avoided if Wolff had shown more commitment to his drivers throughout the summer, as McLaren has done with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Is Verstappen the best driver on the grid? Most likely. Does McLaren need him? No. Wolff should have taken the same approach.

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the September 2025 issue and subscribe today.

Wolff didn’t need to look elsewhere for driver talent – and now the focus should be on easing the pressure on Antonelli

Photo by: Mercedes AMG