Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas has opened up on rookie Kimi Antonelli and why the team made the right call when replacing Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton swapped Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of 2024 (Image: Getty Images)

Rising F1 star Kimi Antonelli has already shown that replacing seven-time champion with an untested teenager was a wise decision, says Mercedes reserve Valtteri Bottas. The Finn, a former team-mate of Lewis Hamilton’s at the same team, has witnessed the 18-year-old’s remarkable start to his F1 career from close up and has been blown away by the Italian.

Despite a dreadful triple header of European races in recent weeks, Mercedes still have a spring in their step this year. Bottas, the 35-year-old back-up driver, credits the energetic teen Antonelli with altering the atmosphere after working with Hamilton for 12 years before the Brit departed for Ferrari. He stated: “Obviously we’re not happy that McLaren is still ahead and they seem to be quite clearly ahead.

“But at least the team has a chance of fighting for better positions. Also, the dynamics always change a bit when you change drivers. So I think having such a young kid like Kimi, it’s kind of refreshing probably for some people.”

Antonelli has had a difficult run with no points scored across the last three events, though mechanical problems were responsible for DNFs in Imola and Barcelona. In Monaco, he crashed out in qualifying due to a rookie mistake which ended his hopes of scoring points immediately.

However, even before the season began, boss Toto Wolff acknowledged this is a year of learning for the Italian and knew that “sometimes we will tear our hair out”.

But the Mercedes chief also accurately predicted “moments of brilliance” when Antonelli first took the seat. The moment when he outpaced the McLarens and Max Verstappen to secure pole position for the sprint race in Miami last month was a defining one, according to Bottas.

Valtteri Bottas has been impressed by Kimi Antonelli (Image: Getty Images)

He explained: “He did something that nobody expected yet. In the first quarter of the first season of his career, sticking it on pole on a track that he didn’t know – that was pretty amazing. And I think for many people in the team, it confirmed that he was the right choice for this year.”

After losing his Sauber seat at the end of last season, Bottas returned to Mercedes as a reserve, with new owners Audi opting for their own preferred driver line-up.

Despite his desire to return to the grid in 2026, Bottas is currently utilising his extensive experience from five teams’ titles as Hamilton’s team-mate between 2017 and 2021, including 10 race wins, to guide both the team and Antonelli personally. Bottas shared: “I’ve been trying to help him when I can, especially on the new tracks that he doesn’t know.

“He’s got great engineers helping him, even his dad is helping him a lot. So I try to read the situation like when should I jump in and when to give him space as well.”

However, while Antonelli is a promising prospect, Mercedes are not lacking the leadership once provided by Hamilton, with George Russell admirably stepping up. Russell is currently fourth in the Drivers’ Championship thanks to a remarkably consistent start to the season, and Bottas commented: “He seems to be very comfortable in.

“He’s no longer the new kid on the block – with several seasons to his name, his input has become invaluable for the squad. The team has been relying quite a bit on him and he’s just putting the car where it should be.”