Kimi Antonelli Deserves More Than Mercedes Silence.

This is getting ridiculous. We're already crashing out about George maybe losing his own seat, but now the talk of Kimi being sent away after just one season is actually starting to grow? I thought that was just a niche thought, but it's spreading people. I seriously thought I was sticking my neck out the other day with my Alpine thought experiment for Antonelli, but I've seen it starting to be discussed by other pundits. Well, it might have had something to do with the rather shocking set of results that had befallen the young Italian Stappen ever since his home race of Imola, when he invited his entire class to the paddock, and that might have been a bit of a curse. And it's now resulted in one of the worst streaks he's ever had in his entire racing career, and had it not been for his 15-point haul and debut podium at the Canadian Grand Prix, it would look even worse. Because you've got to remember, that gutsy podium under McLaren pressure and jabbing away at Max Verstappen kind of intimidating him? Without that, Kimi would look like Toussaint as dead weight, whilst George appears to be carrying the team. All those DNFs? Ooh, yikes. Russell though? Finished every race with just one of those outside the points. But that's not the full story, my friend. You look to those DNFs, and without the proper context, you'd be thinking, wow, Kimi's letting the sight down, isn't he? If he were pulling his weight and finishing properly, Mercedes would be comfortably second in the constructors, Ferrari wouldn't have a leg to stand on. And you're talking about getting Max at your team? Ah, send the rookie away, go on, get him out! But pretty much all of those retirements, of course, except Austria, were out of his hands, including the British GP retirement, where Hajar accidentally went into the back of him, destroying his rear diffuser, and no one's going to be doing well with a busted up diffuser. But time and time again throughout history, as current racing then becomes a history, you don't really get the full understanding of what happened in the race, you just look to the statistics, and that can easily paint a completely different story. Most recent example, probably one of the biggest examples, is Michael Schumacher's third season in Formula One with Mercedes. When you actually look back, Michael was really getting to grips with the brand new cars after a few years away, and with Mercedes, his results were tainted with poor reliability on his car for the most part, whereas Rosberg in the early part of the year was bulletproof effectively, and got the team their first win in the modern era. Michael did have potential, had he actually had better luck and more reliability, to be an early stage title contender. That is, until the team lost complete traction, they fell way behind by season's end, even though they gained some reliability, but for Michael, it was too late to mount any counter-attack, and ultimately, he went into second retirement and made way for Lewis Hamilton. But that is for another video, which I did many ages ago, and I'll leave a link to in the pinned comment. It's a really, really interesting thought experiment, and it really does make you think about Michael's comeback. He was starting to get it, but he just ran out of time and fortune. The point is, though, is that third season was marred for Michael by car issues and poor reliability, and just simple bad luck, and I think the same thing is happening with Kimi. In his very first season, people are forgetting that this kid is a rookie, and whilst that can be a good thing, in that he's got an old head on his shoulders, and it's acting like he's been around Formula One for years, like he did in testing, didn't put a foot wrong, was putting in solid times, and seemed quite agreeable with the car. Now, that's seemingly being destabilised a little bit, and now people are just thinking, oh, yeah, no, no, no, no, maybe he was not right to be promoted, maybe he should have gone to another team first, but the simple fact is, though, is that Mercedes don't have a customer in which to put him in, because Williams and McLaren, they're not going to play ball, Aston Martin would never play ball, they've got their own crop of drivers, and one seat being permanently occupied. And not to mention, the W16 has proven to be fragile, albeit not in George Russell's hands, so George is the Nico, whereas Kimi is the Michael. And what I think Toto is forgetting right now is that this kid is meant to be his only project, THE project, to correct the mistake of missing out on Max Verstappen, but instead, now, he's trying to put Max in the car on the second go-around, so it's almost like Wolf's forgetting about Kimi, and it's just treating him like an afterthought, And Toto can say what he likes to me, he just said, ah, don't you worry, I've got a three-year plan for Kimi, just trust the process. Well, the thing is, though, I don't think Kimi's trusting the process anymore, not nearly as solidly as he was just a few months ago. He probably doesn't even know where he is right now. Is he good, or is he not? And George is handling this admirably, but for a rookie, being entrusted with the seat of Lewis Hamilton, he's now thinking, am I really deserving of this? Considering what he did in his junior career, he was absolutely remarkable. This is a major comedown. Toto should not be treating him like this, because he was supposed to be the successor to Lewis Hamilton, and I've seen plenty of examples of him being somewhat justifiably deserving of that title. But the fact is, though, is that Toto is providing us radio silence regarding his contract and George's contract, and that, therefore, is allowing the conversation regarding said topic to drift. That conversation has swung from protect the wunderkind to maybe loan him out if Max becomes available. Dropping either Antonelli or Russell looks harsh anyway, because the root of Antonelli's rough rookie run is not as simple as just saying he's not cut out for the job. Have you not seen his junior career? Now, I'm not a super fan of his. I do wish him well, and I think he is deserving of being in Formula One, but when you take a look at his junior form, and you just, this is one of those rare moments where you think, oh, he's a really good talent, because those stats, you go, oh, dang, he's the real deal. So, yeah, his struggles have got nothing to do with a lack of ability or effort, because when you look to that documentary, oh, that's another thing. You know, Tojo saying, ah, yes, he's so good, I'm going to make a documentary about him to just show off how good I am and how cool Kimi can be, oh, shiny object. Kimi is the kind of person that remembers lap times from races he did years ago. He's that analytical. He's perfect for Mercedes. So just give him a multi-year contract, or maybe you've started him off with one. Sorry, yeah, I'm starting to crush out about this. I feel strong emotions for George. I feel even stronger emotions for Kimi. According to Tojo himself, he signed him within five minutes of Hamilton's exit and outlined said three-year development plan, signaling that this year would be a learning session, minimal pressure, patience even. So you would think that, okay, if Kimi scores just a fraction of what George does, it wouldn't matter so much. It's a learning year for not only he, but the team as well. And he's got Bono by his side as a racing engineer, very storied one. That'll be a very, very good bit of experience. And then you've only got to look at what he actually does when he's at the top of his game, a sprint pole at Miami, getting a podium in his rookie year. That's the kind of stuff Oscar Piastri was able to pull off. So that's gotta be some credit here, people. Again, I really think Kimi has got the potential in being in F1 for a very, very long time. It's all compelling stuff. So cutting that plan short or adjusting it to include another team, simply because Verstappen might be available, it just contradicts the patience that Mercedes have been promising Antonelli for so long. Ever since Lewis signed with Ferrari, debates are allowed to manifest themselves and gain traction to the detriment of the Italian. Sure, you could argue that me talking about it in my own video is part of the problem. And in hindsight, you would have a point. But I have to tell you, that is not my ideal option. It is an option. I've said time and time again, Mercedes have something good with George and Kimi. Keep them for many, many years. Own your mistake, Toto. You drop the ball with Max. You learn from it. You got yourself a pretty good junior academy. Roll with it. Just give up on your fantasy of trying to correct your old mistake and instead try to make sure you don't make any brand new ones, which at the moment, I think you might be about to do. Just wait for Kimi to find his feet. Oscar has proven that by your third season, you can be championship material. That might apply to Kimi as well, especially if Mercedes nail the new regulations. Who knows? Next season, it could be between George and Kimi. And what's incredibly frustrating for me is that the team's technical director, James Allison, understands it. He's fully aware that the car has been mostly responsible for the issues Antonelli has faced, as well as him trying to adapt to the new 6-6 tyres from Pirelli, a compound that many other drivers haven't warmed to. Ironically, because they tend to overheat. Ha ha. But anyway, this particular passage from Allison speaks volumes to me. Ahem. Kimi's young and full of all the optimism of youth. But I absolutely know that our failures, our failures, in this period, have taken a few chunks out of Kimi along the way. You know, two DNFs, one caused by a chassis problem. This was around the Spanish Grand Prix at the time, by the way. One caused by a PU problem in just three races. That's a pretty tough pill to swallow. But in amongst that, there's been a lot of very positive work with him and brilliant experience for him running on a very dynamic track, like it was in Barcelona, with track temperatures pushing up toward 50 degrees and managing soft tyres in these conditions. That is just putting experience into him at a very fast rate. And he was handling it pretty well. Now, you see that? This isn't just from the guy who makes the tea at Mercedes. This is coming from the team's technical director. That is huge praise indeed, because you've got to remember, James Allison is a pretty decorated technical director on his own. And what he's doing right here is removing any sort of responsibility from the rookie, saying, ah, Kimi, don't worry about it. You're good. So why can't Toto do the same thing a little bit more overtly and say, ah, don't you worry, Kimi. I'm going to put you in the car for a very long time. But I think just for the sake of his long-term career, Kimi needs to be announced first. George seemingly can take it. He can cope with all of the scepticism. And what James is also recognising is that Antonelli is probably in a funk right now, a really bad one, despite the high highs. For a team who skipped F3 entirely, this public admission shows the psychological cost of mechanical unreliability, or destiny taken out of your hands through external factors, that can befall a rookie. It's not been, mostly, down to reckless driving. If you knew that you could easily drive a Formula 1 car and you managed to get some good results to boot, if the destiny of that race was taken out of your hands through a mechanical issue, or just for a simple mistake, you'd feel pretty bad right now, wouldn't you? You'd be questioning your time and thinking, am I an imposter here? Do I actually belong? Are they just putting up with me? They're just being nice? There are these doubts here. Seriously, I think a huge shipment of packing foam has been sent to Kimi's home address. But the point is, is that Alisson gets it. He hears the Italian. That the car, the W16, is still susceptible to high temperatures, even though it does have a better handling of it than the W15. But the fact is, though, is that Mercedes are doing really well right now, better than expected. And as a result, Kimi might feel the urge, the pressure, even, to overdrive the car. As he said earlier in the season, overcorrect, and therefore, stress out the car even more, and then, it's just a cycle, people. But that's part and parcel of your first year in F1. You've got to find your limits and the car's limits. And I've not seen anyone within the Mercedes pit will actually criticize Antonelli or think he's bringing the side down. Not one. So, Wolf, why are you allowing speculation to spread, hmm? Déjà vu, anyone? Back to when Bottas was on a year-to-year leash? No long-term deal? You know, just constant contract limbo? Sound familiar? That he could be replaced at any moment? Because, let's be real, after Nico Rosberg suddenly retired because he was originally contracted through 2018, Bottas became the perennial stopgap. And the only reason he stuck around with Mercedes for that long was because Lewis Hamilton liked him a lot, even going as far as saying that he was the best teammate he ever had in his entire career. Heikki Kovalainen just crying in the corner somewhere. And what did Alpari Bottas think of all of this while he was there? Well, he does like to say what he thinks sometimes if he really does not like something, and he described the entire affair at one point as a pain in the ass. Like how he described his three-year tenure at Saba ultimately being a mistake. Yeah. If you annoy Valtteri, you do know where you stand. And what's musing and mildly irritating is that back then, in 2019, when this got really bad, Toto will actually recognize that he'd been dropping the ball, keeping Valtteri in contractual limbo. And he promised that he would do better, that he would learn from this experience, and it would never happen again. Fast forward six years later, and look where we are right now. So Toto's not learned from this. He's actually gotten worse. Because you think this would be a done deal, but all we're hearing right now is Kimi maybe being loaned out, not in a good place right now, and George Russell allegedly not happy with maybe getting a one-year stopgap deal similar to what Bottas was afforded. The gossip is loud, Wolff is mostly quiet, and we've now got the technical lead, as I mentioned earlier, explaining how the car's failures have taken Antonelli down a peg or two, and that he's not to blame. The result just feels corrosive, as the Bottas speculation was. And Wolff promised to learn from this! Oh my god! All that this is proving is that Toto, in some circumstances, in this particular scenario, is not better than Christian was. And it just really makes the comments that Toto made last October about him stopping flirting with Max Verstappen, committed to his future lineup for 2025, all the more disingenuous. So much for that, then. He just couldn't quit, Max, could he? Okay, I understand that if maybe Toto's remaining quiet, so that means he's not polluting the echo chamber of Formula One with his own words, but he's already been saying a fair few words regarding Valtteri Bottas' return to Formula One, so it's not exactly something that he can quit cold turkey. But what's going to fill that echo chamber instead? Speculation of the Spanner variety from many different circles, most notably, recently, Gunther Steiner saying, ah yes, you should put Kimi in the Alpine car. Other people's opinions will find their way through to both drivers, either through them finding it on their own social feeds, fan interactions, and most obviously, questions from the press, because they will keep coming. In this situation, Toto, you need to step in, not remain, as you say with Valtteri, in the background. Now, I understand there is a constant here, there is previous, that Toto, since the departure of Nico Rosberg, likes to ideally announce contractual futures around August time, so around the Hungarian Grand Prix, or at the beginning of the summer break. These circumstances that we find ourselves in, the society we live in, we really need answers sorted out much quicker than that, because you've got to remember here, this is the first opportunity that Toto has had, where he has a rookie incumbent, and then is bringing in not just a one-time world champion, like it was with Lewis, but a four-time world champion. Such an opportunity doesn't come around that often, but realistically, Toto really needs to show that he has a little bit more integrity and keep to what he has right now to build for the future that can easily have long-term sustainable results. Max may not even be here in a couple of years. Heck, he might not even be here next year if he doesn't like the car, so imagine that. If even the Mercedes car, the W17, is not to Max's taste, and he just goes, uh, yeah, no mate, I'm gonna bounce. Okay, goodbye, everyone. Bye, I'm off to race GT3. Okay, yeah, that's not gonna go down well with the Mercedes board now, is it? We need clearer signalling instead of relying on a Twitter account where you get to see the ins and outs, the comings and goings of Verstappen's private jet. Basically, Wolf, I think, hasn't learnt a thing in the art of contractual gymnastics on the public level, and the effect it has on his current drivers, which brings us on to Kimi's own assessment, in that nothing's really working, all the more stark. And on the surface, it telegraphs an absolutely fascinating young man who has a very likeable personality, a wholesome backstory. It makes him out that he's got no clue what's going on right now, he doesn't have an answer, and he's probably heading toward depression. And that is something that should not be happening. So anyway, here are his comments from the race for your consideration. Ahem. First of all, I don't know what to say. It seems like everything is going wrong at the moment, and it's hard to find some positives. I'm not super happy, to be honest. Too many zeros scored. After Canada, I've been trying, but I've been struggling to find some positives. It feels like nothing's really working on our way, and I just need to focus and reset and try to find again the light at the end of the tunnel, because definitely, I'm not going through a nice moment. And this is really, really sad to hear after such a really strong start. I don't think Kimi has lost confidence in himself, because again, look to his past. It reveals a rookie hit by three forces at once, repeated mechanical retirements that were out of his hands, rising self-criticism, maybe as he tries to overcompensate, and a swirl of transfer talk that leaves him unsure what the team really wants from him. So realistically, Toto should have started his career with a multi-year deal, at least two seasons, or better yet, why not put him in with a three-year deal? So that means you can have your three-year development time, Toto, and eat it. Because you've got to remember, there was a reason why Toto wanted to put Kimi in the car, skipping F3 entirely. Two years ago, he was only just graduating from Formula 4 machinery, and now he has 63 points to his name. That is some doing. So yes, this young cub has reached the top of the food chain, and he's now struggling to find his place in it, and the vultures are circling. So it's like that moment in The Lion King when Simba's out in the desert, he lays down on the ground, not sure where his future is going, and the buzzards are starting to go, we need a Timon and Pubba figure coming in right now to save the day. And that could be Max Verstappen. I think it's been quite evident recently that the Dutchman has taken it upon himself to be openly welcoming of new talent, and to take them under his wing in a manner which I've not seen from any other driver to this degree. Sure, Lewis Hamilton has had his own fair, kind words for youngsters, like with Isaac Hadjar, and for example, offering Franco Colopinto a ride home in his own private jet one time. But Max has been even more overt in his mama bear mentality when it comes to defending newcomers, who are simply just trying to fight for their lives at the moment amidst global and social media pressure. That's something we've not seen in F1's entire history. Max came in at 16, and for many, many years, right up until he won his first title, he was doubted, mocked, insulted, ridiculed, and ultimately got the title Crashstappen, and many people were calling for his exit, or for him to be muzzled. Look, I'm sorry if I keep going on about the whole Crashstappen thing. It's true though. It happened. Max knows that it's happened, and he does not want the same thing to happen to anyone else. And what I think is the especially unusual part in all of this is that Max is doing all of this and is showing genuine, sincere support and wishing them well in their careers, because I still remember when Bortoletta got his points and Max and he locked eyes and Max was just like, well done, my man. That and a hug. Brilliant. Something that completely goes against the concept that many people have who aren't Max fans that, oh, he hates everybody. Oh, he's a jerk. No, he's not. He's ruthless on the track, but off it, he's most likely quite amusing. But when you're contrasting all of that to what Toto's doing, it's enough to make your head spin, because whilst Mercedes' current rival to George Russell in the Championship is taking Antonelli up a peg or two, Toto has only offered brief, regret-tinged remarks at times when Kimi has had a bad day in the office. So this mismatch makes Wolf look slow to defend the rookie he handpicked himself, almost like he's starting to question his own ability, because recently he even mentioned that he regretted giving Kimi a Monza FP1 session, saying that it wasn't our most intelligent call. But hey, come on, it worked. Kimi's broken records in his rookie year. That's not a lost cause. But what didn't help is that in the wake of the Austria collision with the Stappen, Toto said, we always knew that eventually. No, no, no, I worded differently. These mistakes happen in regards to Kimi having a high-profile incident for the first time. The net effect is that the Stappen's praise and leniency over said incident sounds warmer, more genuine, detailed, than Wolf's guarded soundbites in trying to maybe protect his own image and choosing his words carefully. So I think Max is doing the job that Toto's supposed to be doing in being the driver's biggest champion. Look to what James Vowles is doing and has done for Logan for such a long time, up until it really became clear that there was no future for him. But Franco Colapinto, during that middle phase of his Williams substitutional period, where he was having those high-profile crashes. And even now, when Franco's over at Alpine, James is still backing him up. Yeah, I think if Flavio did abandon Franco, oh, James would easily take him back. So yes, the only way that many people could maybe logically explain why Max is being so forgiving, despite this being a high-profile crash at Red Bull's home circuit, is that, oh yeah, maybe they are going to be teammates next year, so Max doesn't want to get up on the wrong foot or anything. Or maybe it's just a genuine desire to not kick a rookie while they're probably feeling down right now. You could consider that too. And it just really makes me think that Wolff is probably way in over his head right now with so many contractual decisions, opportunities, maybe some pressure from the board, since apparently they're given a green light to pursue Verstappen. And then I've heard other rumors saying that if he doesn't secure Max Verstappen, Toto, he's out of a job, even though I think that might be difficult, since he owns a third of the team. It's like Christian Horner and Red Bull and failing to secure Max and those rumors. Oh my God, this is so confusing right now. And as I pointed out the other day, I still think Wolff is very, very unsure how to handle young talent. He's not sure what to do with them when he gets them. You get Kimi's sudden rise to the top of motorsport. You get Paul Aaron leaving because they were dawdling with his own career, which I probably think that maybe they didn't want him to overshine Kimi Antonelli in F2, but then he did it anyway through his own position in high tech. And now you're getting people saying that Paul Aaron deserves a chance at Formula 1 just as much as Kimi, that he has potential. He got third in Formula 2 that year, whereas Kimi got sixth. Although again, remember, Prema did drop the ball with a brand new car, but the Estonian has done really well in F1 sessions. He's done well in private testing for Alpine. If he does get a go, then I think he might be pretty good. So maybe there might be a future in there. And he could have easily even a Mercedes driver. But, you know, they have their own desire, their own priorities. Who's to say? And then you've got Fred Vesti, who's done a really solid job in being a Mercedes Reserve driver. He had his own success in Formula 2, but then ultimately there wasn't really any future or scope with the Mercedes team or any other customer team, because again, McLaren and Williams aren't going to take Mercedes Juniors. Alpine might be more compliant, but even then, there's the Alpine Academy to consider. The Toto is in a bit of a bind right now, but he really should just stick to the choices he's already made. Run with them. Allow them to cook. And allow them to cook in your own steakhouse. So yes, Wolf's desire for the very best right now and his limited options to install rookies up until very recently, it's been a weakness. And yeah, Alpine might be a saving grace, and that might be why the rumours are spreading. But in my Kimi video, I did suggest that negotiating with Flavio Briatore could be a very dangerous game, as well as Team Enston in general, because Toto's had previous of losing out on a young Mercedes driver, such as with Esteban Ocon, who's to say that in the discussions of a loan deal with Alpine's bolstered legal team after, you know, the gas with Oscar Piastri, they might slip in some kind of loophole or a clause where Alpine could easily refuse any recall or summons that Kimi gets back to the top team. And then the onus is on Alpine to provide a pretty decent car and a useful one for Kimi to continue to learn it, unless George is given a few pointers or two in order to hustle at the back, which is something I arguably think has done the world of good for him. But with Kimi, he would have started at the top and then gone down to the bottom. It just feels like he'd just be treated as a commodity at this point. It would have been so much easier if Kimi had another year in Formula 2 or not skipped F3, then went into Alpine and then did a couple of years there, got up to the top team. And yeah, if he's fighting for 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, it might give him less chances to roll with the punches and gets to what's real. Can't you see what I mean? Look, I think Mercedes is risking harming the image that it's trying to create at the expense of Red Bull and might end up just plateauing or sending themselves into a place where they have become everything they ever hated, being cutthroat with rookies and showing that Mercedes is not the best place for young blood to thrive. The team that in this scenario had fast-tracked an 18-year-old now may look less protective than its rival's champion. If Wolf learned anything from the Bottas saga, he'll end the uncertainty fast. Until then, Kimi's story keeps getting written by everyone else except Mercedes for a fear of saying the wrong thing, as Toto corrected in Austria. And for any young driver eyeing that silver garage, it raises a brutal question. Can Mercedes really call itself the home of any future talent if its main boss flinches at the first sign of trouble? Or, all together people, go, our next shiny object. But as for Kimi, he's not the problem. He's doing great, simple as. But why all the ire toward Toto lore? Well, it's simply because he's lit the fuse for next year, what with all his wheelings and dealing. To find out why I think this and what may be going on here, watch this video next straight after this one.