Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes' “safety net” in the event of Andrea Kimi Antonelli's failure?

Juan Pablo Montoya believes that the return of Valtteri Bottas is a way for Mercedes to offer itself a plan B if Andrea Kimi Antonelli proves to be too soft for Formula 1. But is it really a gamble that Toto Wolff would risk taking if he was not fully convinced of the qualities of his protégé?

Published 29/01/2025 à 17:28

Cyprien Juilhard

  Comment on this article! 3

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes' “safety net” in the event of Andrea Kimi Antonelli's failure?

Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes, where he was Lewis Hamilton's teammate between 2017 and 2021. @DPPI

In recent months, sports betting site blogs have been multiplying their analyses and interviews with former drivers. These practices have just cost Johnny Herbert his job, pilot commissioner in F1 since 2010, whose strong opinions, particularly against Max Verstappen, were no longer cumulative with his work within the FIA. Like the Briton or Jacques Villeneuve, Juan Pablo Montoya expressed himself on a betting site, where he gave his opinion on the arrival of Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.

"Kimi Antonelli comes into the spotlight of one of the best teams, with a teammate (George Russell) who is doing an incredible job. And they sell you as the next Max Verstappen." explains the seven-time Grand Prix winner on Casadeapuestas.bet. "If he doesn't meet expectations, it will be difficult for him. My reading of the situation is that with the signing of Valterri Bottas, Mercedes has his back covered. He's a safety net, someone they can have in case the Antonelli gamble doesn't work out, and he knows that."

Juan Pablo Montoya's analysis raises an interesting point: what if Valtteri Bottas' return to Mercedes was indeed a way to have a reliable plan B in case Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggles to quickly get up to speed in F1? The Italian will become the third youngest driver in the history of the category in Australia, at just 18 years old, which inevitably raises questions about his maturity.

Record holder for precocity, Max Verstappen started at 17 years old at Toro Rosso, but the Dutchman's early years in the premier class revealed a sometimes poorly controlled passion linked to his youth as well as a slight lack of maturity, which have faded over the years. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has a fairly similar career path to the four-time world champion: brilliant in the promotional formulas, he found himself propelled into F2 in 2024, without going through the box F3, while Verstappen had gone from F3 to F1 in a matter of months.

ALSO READ > Andrea Kimi Antonelli in search of Verstappen and Hamilton's precocity records

Replacing Antonelli would not make sense

Andrea Kimi Antonelli's first – and only – season in Formula 2 was quite good (6th), but the Italian was very far from being able to challenge for the title, which raises questions about his ability to perform in Formula 1, especially in a leading team. Despite everything, the young man's immense talent is undeniable and his preparation has been carefully managed by Mercedes, who offered him a very large number of rides on old single-seaters in order to prepare him to take the plunge. There is no doubt that Toto wolff is convinced of his driver's abilities, that he could have let one more season mature in Formula 2 or sent him to Williams, like George Russell before him, to take for example Carlos Sainz for one year instead.

ALSO READ > Andrea Kimi Antonelli gets his driving license, weeks before his F1 debut

The arrival of Valtteri Bottas seems to respond to a need in the Mercedes backroom: the Finn knows the house, the functioning of the team and will play a crucial role in helping to develop the car thanks to his work on the simulator. His great experience (246 Grands Prix) will be an undeniable added value compared to what could bring Mick Schumacher, a reserve for the last two seasons. Valtteri Bottas also offers few sporting guarantees after an anonymous season at Sauber and his starting place in place of Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the season would make no sense.

Mercedes knows that the 2025 season is likely to be difficult after finishing 4th in the constructors' standings in 2024. The star firm has its eyes set on 2026, which gives Andrea Kimi Antonelli a year to learn, even if the car is not very good. Replacing the Italian, for whom Mercedes has done so much by funding his journey in promotional formulas, on the pretext that he is not at the level of George Russell in his first season would make no sense, neither sportingly nor economically. Valtteri Bottas will be a key element of the team's success in the shadows, but seeing him drive a Mercedes in a Grand Prix this year seems, barring illness, injury or suspension, highly unlikely.

ALSO READ > Valtteri Bottas also potential replacement for McLaren and Williams?

Comment on this article! 3

Read also

Comments

3 Comment (s)

V

vincent moyet

29/01/2025 at 11:30 a.m.

Having an experienced driver as a backup plan in case Antonelli starts bending his chassis a bit too much isn't totally stupid. Besides, I'm not sure that Verstappen's maturity deficit has been erased so much with time... If he fights for the title against Hamilton, he'll have to avoid losing points stupidly by losing his mind because of an excessively large ego.

Yves-Henri RANDIER

29/01/2025 at 06:24 a.m.

AKA probably closer to a Verstappen profile than a Stroll profile to take the last 2 youngest drivers to have landed in F1. 2025 is a transitional season that should allow the young Italian to start without too much pressure. Furthermore, if Bottas had finally been signed by Audi during the summer, 3rd reserve driver at Mercedes would never have been the only option left for him to continue to be in the paddock. Antonelli represents the future according to Toto, which was neither the case for Schumacher Jr nor for the only mullet in the paddock

1

L

Lucas Paul

29/01/2025 at 05:53 a.m.

When you have had such a "poor" career in F1, you don't get involved in what the new drivers are doing.... We call that jealousy :(:(:(

To write a comment