Crash may have delayed Antonelli’s 2025 announcement

Kimi Antonelli’s big practice crash not even two flying laps into his official F1 practice debut on Friday may have delayed the scheduled announcement about his 2025 race seat.

Instead of facing the media on Friday, and potentially talking about replacing Lewis Hamilton from next season, the 18-year-old Italian took a trip to the medical centre.

"I think the marketing team was ready with the press release that he will get the seat in 2025," former F1 driver Robert Doornbos told Ziggo Sport.

"They assumed it would go smoothly, and then he was in the wall at the Parabolica," he added.

Doornbos described Antonelli’s ultra-speedy and fleeting moment in George Russell’s Mercedes as "bizarre".

"He was immediately on the white lines, sometimes even touching the grass," said the Dutchman. "He went through the second Lesmo 7kph faster than Max Verstappen. "In Ascari, he was 9kph faster than anyone else - all day. The most difficult corner.

"That’s why his rear tyres were already much too hot. He then steers in, and no one was home."

The 52G impact for Antonelli immediately raised new chatter that a leap straight into Formula 1 next year may be far too premature for the youngster.

"The pressure was enormous," Doornbos said.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff instantly reassured Antonelli on the radio, telling his protege: "All good, Kimi."

The Austrian later told the media: "He only did a lap and a half, but in this lap and a half he did the job."

Wolff has not been hiding that Antonelli’s race deal for 2025 is already signed and sealed, but when asked after the crash on Friday, he insisted: "We haven’t confirmed him.

"I like his talent, his development potential, his family. But we haven’t confirmed him yet."

Rumours abounded that a scheduled official announcement for Friday would happen instead on Saturday. Indeed, Mercedes issued the press release early on Saturday morning.

"Mercedes hyped Antonelli so heavily," said Doornbos. "This (Friday) was the day that it was supposed to happen."

As for Wolff, he insists the crash does not give him second thoughts about Antonelli’s future. In fact, plans for the teenager’s next Friday outing are already being made for the Mexican GP.

"Zero effect," Wolff said when asked if anything has changed after the crash.

"We’d rather have a problem in slowing him down than making him faster," he added. "Because what we’ve seen from one and a half laps is just astonishing.

"We are running fully conscious into these driver decisions, fully conscious of what can happen, what to expect and managing the expectations," said the Austrian. "And clearly here with everything piling up on him in Monza, that’s very difficult to cope with.

"Is that the reason why he put it in the wall? Maybe. But like I said before, I’d rather slow somebody down than make him fast, because the second one is impossible."