Follow us on Google Discover Mercedes are still yet to confirm who will be driving their car during the 2026 Formula 1 season as a new era dawns.
New cars, new storylines, and the return of some familiar faces threaten to create an exciting storyline, but only once this season has come to an end. For the Silver Arrows, one of their drivers hasn’t quite delivered as expected and may need to prove his credentials a little more.
Kimi Antonelli has struggled at times during his rookie season, scoring points once in seven races at one stage. Mercedes took a bit of a gamble promoting him at the age of 18, and not being confirmed for the 2026 F1 regulations in the middle of October is a little worrying.
Antonelli was promoted at the right time, according to Williams boss James Vowles. He had just one season to prepare in Formula 2 before making the jump. Antonelli is a future F1 champion in Mercedes’ eyes, but they just need to be patient with him.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle reveals why he thinks Mercedes haven’t announced Kimi Antonelli’s new F1 contract
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
Mercedes are waiting to confirm George Russell before they confirm his teammate for next season, suggests Martin Brundle. The Briton has won multiple races this season and has been very impressive from a leadership standpoint.
Antonelli was always going to have more room for error as a rookie, but, talked up as a generational talent, he was expected to deliver more and be closer to his rivals than he has been. A fresh start for 2026 might help him.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff defended Antonelli’s own suggestion that he might not be ready for Formula 1 yet last year, calling it ‘stupid’. However, with six races to go, results seem to suggest that maybe the Italian driver was right.
“I know that we sometimes forget, remind yourself how stupid we were at 17,” Wolff told RacingNews365 in June 2024. “I clearly can tell you, my lack of maturity would never [have] allowed me to take clear decisions in such a highly competitive field.
“And he’s a few years from just being in karting, and then in Formula Regional, and now he’s in F2, under the eyes of the world for this Mercedes seat.”
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesHow Kimi Antonelli is starting to show positive signs at Mercedes
After a very rough European leg of the season, Antonelli’s pace has picked up recently, and his results are a lot more promising.
For the first time in his career, he earned consecutive top-five finishes at the last race in Singapore, doubling down on a strong showing in Azerbaijan, too.
The Marina Bay circuit was the first of multiple locations he won’t have visited before that he has to tackle over the next few weeks.
Those sorts of results will work in his favour, though, as he looks to secure a bit of long-term stability early in his career.