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Martin Brundle’s stinging Kimi Antonelli opinion as Mick Schumacher row emerges

By Oliver Harden,

6 hours ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0gnVmx_0vFzhn3U00 — Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a shaky start to his F1 career on Friday at Monza

Friday’s F1 news features Martin Brundle’s unflattering opinion on Mercedes debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli after a massive crash in practice at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

With a disagreement over Mick Schumacher’s ability making the cut too, let’s zoom through the day’s main F1 headlines…

F1 news: Martin Brundle on Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mick Schumacher, more

Martin Brundle questions Andrea Kimi Antonelli approach after Monza practice crash

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle says Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s practice crash was “the last thing he or the team needed” after the Mercedes protege’s first appearance on a race weekend fell flat at the Italian Grand Prix.

Antonelli, who is expected to be imminently confirmed as seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for F1 2025, crashed just 10 minutes into FP1 at Monza.

Brundle claimed Antonelli, who has been likened to Red Bull’s reigning three-time World Champion Max Verstappen, “needed to play himself in somewhat more carefully than that.”

Toto Wolff: Andrea Kimi Antonelli ‘needs to cope with heavy burden’

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, says Andrea Kimi Antonelli “needs to cope with the pressure” after his early exit from FP1 at Monza.

Antonelli has been touted as a potential star of the future ahead of his likely promotion to a race seat for F1 2025, with the teenage sensation commencing an extensive F1 testing program to prepare him for his highly anticipated debut.

Wolff likened Antonelli’s Mercedes W15 to a smashed Lego set following his crash at Parabolica, insisting the teenager needs to manage the “heavy burden” if he “wants to be a champion one day.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli speaks out after Monza crash

Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted that he was “not feeling super well” after his crash at Monza, claiming his impact with the barrier at Parabolica registered at “around 52G.”

Antonelli, who apologised to both the team and George Russell, whose FP2 running was delayed due to repairs, acknowledged that he was “pushing a bit too much for the conditions.” and “should have built the run a bit more progressively.”

“Definitely lesson learned for next time,” he added. Wolff confirmed that Antonelli’s next FP1 appearance is due to come in Mexico in October.

James Vowles: Mick Schumacher ‘isn’t special’

James Vowles has revealed why he overlooked Mick Schumacher to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for the rest of F1 2024, claiming the former Haas driver is “not special.”

Williams dropped Sargeant this week, with the American racer replaced by Argentine youngster and fellow Williams academy graduate Franco Colapinto for the remaining nine races of the season.

The decision to promote Colapinto came after Williams had been linked with Schumacher and Liam Lawson, the reserve drivers of Mercedes and Red Bull respectively.

After talks with Red Bull over a loan deal for Lawson broke down, Vowles explained why he did not move for Schumacher, commenting that the son of seven-time World Champion Michael “would have just been good”, not the special talent Williams were looking for.

Toto Wolff defends Mick Schumacher after James Vowles criticism

Toto Wolff has leapt to Mick Schumacher’s defence after James Vowles’ criticism, claiming the Mercedes reserve driver was “crushed” by his experience at Haas across 2021/22.

Schumacher has been unable to earn a second chance in F1 since leaving Haas at the end of 2022 after two challenging seasons.

Wolff has long been a champion of Schumacher’s talent, insisting F1 has not seen the best of the 25-year-old, who “won pretty much everything” on his rise up the racing ranks.