Red Bull called out as Mercedes ‘confidence’ in Antonelli yields maiden F1 podium

Former F1 hopeful Davide Valsecchi has called out Red Bull’s handling of their F1 prospects after Mercedes’ junior Kimi Antonelli clinched a debut podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.

After putting in over 9,000 kilometres of TPC running [Testing Previous Car] last year, Antonelli was parachuted straight into a Mercedes Formula 1 race seat as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for F1 2025.

Mercedes have given Kimi Antonelli ‘confidence and stability’

Questions were asked about whether the teenage Italian was ready given he crashed heavily on his FP1 debut at Monza during last year’s Italian Grand Prix, finding the wall at Parabolica as he went for the fastest lap of the bat.

However, confirming the Italian as a Mercedes F1 driver less than 24 hours later, team principal Toto Wolff said he expected that was just the beginning of Antonelli’s mistakes, but that Mercedes was prepared to invest in his future.

“That’s what we always said – he’s a rookie, he’s very young, we are prepared to invest into his future,” said the Austrian.

“These moments, they will happen and they will continue to happen next year, but there will also be a lot of highlights. I think what we’ve seen was we rather have a problem with slowing him down rather than making him faster, because from what we’ve seen from one and a half laps is astonishing.”

That investment has begun to pay dividends with Antonelli recording his first F1 podium at the Canadian Grand Prix where he finished third in a race won by team-mate George Russell.

Antonelli sits seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, his 63 points contributing towards Mercedes’ second place in the teams’ standings.

His results are in sharp contrast to that of Red Bull’s second driver, with Liam Lawson starting alongside Max Verstappen only to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.

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Arguably the most cutting and brutal of Red Bull’s driver sackings in an organisation known for not being unafraid to wield the axe if deemed necessary, it hasn’t yielded much success as Tsunoda has added just seven points to Red Bull’s tally in eight races.

Valsecchi says Antonelli’s form has shone on a spotlight on rival teams’ approaches to young drivers.

“I am very happy for Kimi, he even managed to match George Russel’s lap times for a long time during the race,” Valsecchi said as per RN365.

“We should be grateful to Mercedes, for the way they work with Antonelli, they know how to manage the pressure on him well, and that’s the best way for a future champion, or at least a future top driver.

“I think that’s really very clever of Mercedes, especially if you look at how Red Bull occasionally puts pressure on their drivers.

“You can do that with someone like Max Verstappen or Fernando Alonso, but not with another driver at a young age. You have to give those guys stability, give them confidence, and that’s what Mercedes did with Antonelli.

“They took a risk to put him directly in the Mercedes, but they gave him confidence and stability, and we are already seeing the result of that.”

Valsecchi reckons that in Mercedes team principal Wolff, Antonelli has the right team boss to guide the youngster.

“Toto is the best team boss for young drivers, in my opinion,” he said. “He showed that with the choice of Antonelli, especially when Antonelli crashed the car during free practice at Monza.

“Wolff immediately said: ‘No problem, that boy will just drive for me next year’.

“That shows something, and after 10 races in Formula 1, Antonelli is already on the podium. I don’t want to be too positive, but I must say that I just feel something good.”

Like Antonelli’s compatriot Jannik Sinner, who has risen through the tennis ranks, Valsecchi has backed Antonelli to also become a World Number 1.

“After all,” he continued, “I think Kimi is taking the right steps forward now, just as Jannik Sinner has done over the years to work his way to the top step by step.

“With time, the same will happen with Kimi, step by step, he advantage of time on his side and in Canada so far he drove one of his best races and at exactly the right time.

“That often means something when a driver is there at the right time.”

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