Kimi Antonelli can look back with satisfaction on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After a number of challenging race weekends before and after the summer break, the young Italian secured fourth place in Baku. Moreover, he qualified ahead of his teammate George Russell on Saturday. Former driver Ralf Schumacher, who previously warned Antonelli about the pressure from Carlos Sainz, now assures that the door at Mercedes is definitively closed for the Spaniard.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was an encouraging race for Antonelli. Thanks in part to the performance of the 19-year-old driver, Mercedes shot up to second place in the constructors’ championship. This was a welcome development, after increasing question marks were raised about the Italian’s debut season. His podium finish in Canada and his sprint pole in Miami were overshadowed in recent weeks by rookie mistakes and finishes outside the top ten.
Like teammate George Russell, Antonelli has not yet signed a contract for next year. Reportedly, Mercedes tried for a long time to secure Max Verstappen for 2026, but without success. Analyst Ralf Schumacher hinted at a possible move by Carlos Sainz to Mercedes, at the expense of Antonelli. However, after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the German has changed his tune.
Significant Weekend
“I think Kimi Antonelli had a significant weekend,” said Schumacher in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “This helps him enormously – not only because he is now cultivating a different image, but also because he was under internal pressure. His promotion to Formula 1 is largely thanks to Toto Wolff,” Schumacher explained. “But if it doesn’t work, the shareholders and Wolff also have to sit around the table and say: ‘Hey, what do we do now?’
“It was starting to become an expensive joke,” Schumacher referred to Antonelli’s many crashes. “In addition, Mercedes also wants to participate in the constructors’ championship. That’s why these have been two very important days. I think Antonelli had a good, solid weekend, which he can now build on. That’s why I’m also convinced that the door is now closed for Carlos Sainz.” Sainz committed to Williams for the long term, but according to Schumacher, he could always have taken Antonelli’s seat.
