F1 pundit Jolyon Palmer has conceded that he expected a \u201clittle bit more\u201d from Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.<\/p>\n
Antonelli has endured an inconsistent start to life in F1<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the Italian has shown flashes of pace, such as claiming pole for the Miami sprint race and securing his maiden podium in Canada, he\u2019s been consistently behind teammate George Russell<\/a>.<\/p>\n Russell is viewed as one of the best drivers on the grid.<\/p>\n In 2025, it can be argued that hes been F1\u2019s standout performer so far this year.<\/p>\n Given Antonelli is viewed as a \u2018generational talent\u2019, more was expected from the 18-year-old.<\/p>\n Antonelli was also handed an unprecedented amount of testing before the season to get him up to speed.<\/p>\n Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer assessed Antonelli\u2019s first 12 races in F1.<\/p>\n \u201cBearing in mind, this was the absolute prodigy that McLaren had snatched away from Alpine,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor an 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, you\u2019ve got to remember you\u2019re up against George Russell. You\u2019re up against a guy that could be a champion in the right car, who\u2019s just come off the back of beating Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s not going to be an easy benchmark, and I think he\u2019s just over three-tenths away on quali pace at the moment. So he\u2019s a bit further away from Oscar, but he was rushed through Formula 2 so quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we all maybe hoped for a little bit more from this outstanding talent, but he\u2019s not been poor and he\u2019s shown glimpses of real talent. I think that\u2019s the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Will Antonelli be at Mercedes in 2026?<\/p>\n Like teammate Russell, Antonelli is out of contract at Mercedes at the end of this season.<\/p>\n Both drivers are confident that they will be with the team next year.<\/p>\n