Kimi Antonelli’s potential F1 seat comes to light amid Max Verstappen-Mercedes speculation

Max Verstappen is considered to be seriously contemplating whether to join Mercedes for the 2026 season, which could possibly result in Kimi Antonelli being ditched by the German squad. According to reports, instead of George Russell, Antonelli is standing on the danger line regarding the uncertainty about his home on the grid next year.

Mercedes has often been in the rumors, trying to snub Verstappen from the Red Bull camp. However, this move was earlier understood to cause troubles to Russell as the two drivers already have an existing feud between them, which led to an on-track altercation in Spain.

This meant that Kimi Antonelli was considered to be safe in the whole driver squabble going on in the background. However, this is seemingly not the case anymore.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 18-year-old is now under threat of losing his stay at the Brackley-based squad. But all is not bad for Antonelli, as Toto Wolff has seemingly prepared a safe route for his prodigy, as he could be loaned out to Alpine for the 2026 season, while the team handles the Russell-Verstappen lineup up front.

Though such a fixture could translate into reality, Mercedes has already had first-hand experience of having two no. 1 drivers on the team back when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were teammates. This would lead to the possible reignition of the silver war that was put to an end when Rosberg departed the German squad at the end of 2016.

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Kimi Antonelli isn't worried about his contract situation at Mercedes amid Max Verstappen's linkage to the squad

Kimi Antonelli at the qualifying for the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Source: Getty

With reports circulating the paddock regarding Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes, both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are under threat of losing out on their seats at a top F1 team. Despite this, the teenager has remained unfazed and is focusing on excelling in his rookie season.

Talking about his 2025 championship campaign so far and his future in F1, Antonelli said (via Formula 1):

"I’m not really worried about myself, I’m just trying to focus as much as possible on what I have to do to deliver the best performance as possible. I think the team has given me a lot of trust and is still doing so, and they’re also giving me time to grow." "Of course, there’s a lot going on and a lot of talks, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to focus on myself and deliver the best job as possible."

Meanwhile, Antonelli sits seventh in the drivers' standings. He is 40 points behind his predecessor at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, who gained 12 points on the Italian at the British GP.

Edited by Mitali