May is over and Mercedes is still looking for a successor to Lewis Hamilton. As far as candidates go, there is still an illustrious circle from Formula 1, but also from its environment. These include drivers that the team already has under contract, namely test driver Mick Schumacher and sponsored driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Recent tests by these drivers in old Mercedes material have attracted a lot of attention in recent days.
This furore reached such proportions that the team made an official statement on May 31 in an attempt to clarify the situation and calm it down. The reason was a private test in mid-May in Silverstone, where Antonelli, Schumacher and the already established regular driver George Russell were on the track together.
Italian media could no longer contain their enthusiasm for the Italian Antonelli. Rumors quickly spread that the test had been a “shootout” in which Mercedes wanted to measure its 17-year-old young hopeful, who has been promoted for years and is currently competing in Formula 2, against the well-known greats Schumacher and Russell.
Such speculation is incorrect, the team itself assures. It was neither the intention nor the consequence of the test: “It is important to understand that each driver drove a different program, on different days, in different track and weather conditions.”
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“Unfortunately, unverified speculation has led to the publication of conclusions and comparisons that do not reflect events,” Mercedes said. “Both Mick and Kimi have done an excellent job with their own programs, entirely to the satisfaction of the team, and we look forward to three more busy days of testing next week.”
The test program continues in the first week of June with Schumacher and Antonelli in Barcelona. There, the two will drive the 2022 F1 W13 – the latest F1 car that can be used for so-called “Testing of Previous Cars” without restrictions under the F1 regulations. The current car and the previous year’s car may only be used in official FIA-sanctioned tests or in Pirelli tire tests.
Nevertheless, these tests are not unimportant, especially for Antonelli. There is no denying that he is definitely a candidate for an F1 cockpit in 2025. Mercedes or Williams are the obvious options. The young Italian has been supported by Mercedes for years, is considered a super talent despite his young career, skipped Formula 3 after his Formula Regional title last year and is already competing in Formula 2.
After his first five F2 weekends, Antonelli is in sixth place overall. He sat in an old F1 Mercedes for the first time in Spielberg in April, then in Silverstone, and next week in Barcelona. Such extensive test programs for young drivers in old cars are now standard due to the strict regulations on testing. Oscar Piastri received a similar program at Alpine in 2021. Junior Jack Doohan is currently also enjoying it there.
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Apart from Antonelli, the list of candidates has been quiet in recent weeks. Team boss Toto Wolff courted Max Verstappen for a long time, but in view of Mercedes’ ongoing form crisis, the three-time world champion does not seem to be very interested in a change.
There have been many rumors about drivers like Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon in recent weeks, but not about Mercedes. Not least because these drivers would prefer contracts with long-term potential. But at Mercedes, there is a high risk that they will be displaced by Antonelli, at least in the medium term.
That brings older drivers or those with limited options into play. Fernando Alonso is now off the table. German names like Mick Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel were always considered outsiders with no real chance. Alpine actually sounded more interested in Schumacher than Mercedes. So the list has now thinned out considerably.