Kimi Antonelli had a strong start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, shocking those who had downplayed his readiness for the massive task. But as he sits P7 in the driver standings, with a podium finish in Canada being the highlight of his season, things have taken a turn for the worse.
Antonelli has struggled mightily since mid-June due to a lack of confidence. Shocking Q1 exits and unlucky DNFs, in combination with Mercedes being unable to keep up with their rivals, are hurting the team's standing in the constructor championship.
They have lost P2 to Ferrari and could soon face a threat from Red Bull for P3, and that should make Toto Wolff think about the direction of the team. While it may not seem like Mercedes are giving full importance to the remainder of this season as a new era of regulations looms in 2026, one change could bring quite the improvement.
Antonelli dropped for the rest of 2025?
Heading into the summer break, Wolff can make a change that would help both Mercedes and Antonelli heading into next season, when the Silver Arrows hope to be closer to the top.
Following a recent team meeting, Wolff could send Antonelli to Alpine for the final 10 races to replace the struggling Franco Colapinto while reserve driver Valtteri Bottas fills in alongside George Russell, ahead of his suspected 2026 move to Cadillac.
Bottas may not have a grip on driving a Mercedes car in the ground effect era, but his experience and impressive record may just be good enough to keep the team afloat for P3 or even P2. As for Antonelli, he could use the opportunity to just drive freely and work on building his confidence and skills, as his results will be more meaningful in 2026.
At the moment, the expectation is that Mercedes will retain their current driver lineup for next season as well, given the fact that Max Verstappen’s Red Bull release clause may not be triggered for a departure. If Mercedes want a run at the title against McLaren next year, Antonelli’s results will be crucial. Giving him time to build confidence at Alpine can surely help him develop into the driver he wants to become.