George Russell was outpaced by Kimi Antonelli in a private test, according to reports from Italy.
The 17-year-old rising star is set to join Mercedes in 2025 as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, with Toto Wolff’s hopes of signing Max Verstappen no longer viable.
Antonelli has been seen as a potential candidate for Mercedes since Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was confirmed in early February.
Once the shortlist was narrowed to the Bologna-born teenager and reigning world champion Verstappen, it seemed inevitable that Antonelli would join the grid in 2025.
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Corriere dello Sport reports that this is now nearly certain. Antonelli’s private test at Silverstone was pivotal.
While it was known that the Italian performed well against times set by test and reserve driver Mick Schumacher, the latest report suggests Russell was also at the track.
According to Corriere, Antonelli’s times were faster than Russell’s during long-run simulations and closely matched in qualifying trim.
This performance likely secured his spot on the grid for the 2025 season, despite his modest 48 points from his first 10 races in Formula Two with PREMA Racing.
Though some may question his readiness for F1, Antonelli has undergone a rigorous private testing program with Mercedes.
Key Mercedes personnel have praised Antonelli since the test.
Technical director James Allison commented on Antonelli’s talent: “He’s just a young, enthusiastic driver.
“Very, very fast and metronomic in his pace. He has not been in an F1 car until recently but made it look like he’d been in one for ages within a lap or two.
“He came at this generation of cars, the ground effect cars, with an open mind.”
Allison continued, “He feels all the same things that you’d expect him to feel, but he’s not sort of polluted by the previous cars.
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“So he just takes them as they are and tells us what he is feeling as weaknesses and strengths.
“He lets the engineers work to try to improve those things… he looks like a very promising young driver.”
This glowing assessment from Mercedes’ technical director highlights the team’s excitement about Antonelli’s future potential in Formula One.