Super Young Hot Shoe Who Skipped F3 Might Get His Chance In F1 In 2025

Thursday, 11 January 2024 at 07:00

The silly season is coming with multiple drivers' contracts expiring at the end of 2024, and Mercedes might have a wild card that could surprise everybody.

14 F1 drivers have their contracts expiring at the end of season 2024. This means the wild period of transfers and new contracts is right around the corner, as many will want to start the new season with their futures secured.

Some drivers might retire after the next season, and some might not get another chance from their teams, depending on their performance.

In such cases, there are a couple of talented young drivers waiting on the sidelines to get their chance. Three primary drivers who are most likely to get a chance if an opportunity arises are Felipe Drugovich, Théo Pourchaire, and Liam Lawson.

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However, as Lawrence Barretto outlined in his recent article for F1, Mercedes might have one more wild card that many are not counting on - Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Barreto wrote:

"So highly-rated is the 17-year-old, he’s skipping F3 and heading straight for F2 this year, debuting in the series with Prema alongside [Ollie] Bearman."

Kimi has been winning series after series, showing such great potential that Mercedes decided he would skip F3 and put him right into F2.

If the young Italian was able to deliver similar results in F2 as he has been showing until now, he might become a very attractive prospect for an F1 seat.

"Deliver the kind of rampant success he has shown so far, and he could yet be a contender for a seat next year."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently acknowledged Kimi's success, but he also said the team does not want to put pressure on him as he is still very young. Barreto continued:

"While there would be no room for him at Mercedes, Toto Wolff could perhaps look to place him at another team to build up his experience. He did just that with George Russell at Williams – and they might be on the lookout for a driver anyway in '25."

Williams currently has both drivers signed until the end of season 2024, and it is clear the team would like to continue with Alex Albon. They gave Logan Sargeant a second chance, and he needs to prove himself in order to retain his seat.

If Sargeant wasn't able to do so, one seat in Williams might be free for the season 2025. Kimi still has a great task of proving himself in F2, but if he confirmed what many already expect from him, he might find himself in the seat of an F1 car quite quickly.