Toto Wolff’s double play: Verstappen set for Mercedes as rising prodigy Antonelli tipped to join 500+ point team . A masterstroke—or the boldest gamble of Wolff’s career?
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will have to move either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli aside if he pulls off a move for Max Verstappen. And Antonelli could be more vulnerable.
Both Mercedes drivers have only signed one-year contracts. The media attention has centred on Russell, which is natural given that he’s a four-time Grand Prix winner.
It seemed unlikely that Wolff would drop Antonelli at the beginning of his F1 career, having earmarked him as a future superstar. But while it would potentially be combustible, a Russell/Verstappen line-up is clearly stronger on paper.
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A report this week claims Verstappen has ‘said yes’ to Mercedes. The deal is still awaiting board approval amid talk that an enormous buyout package would be required.
Kimi Antonelli could land at Alpine if Max Verstappen makes Mercedes move
According to Bild, Verstappen joining Mercedes is ‘almost certain’ at this stage. And Wolff apparently intends to keep Russell as the Dutchman’s teammate.
He plans for Antonelli to remain on the books, but will have to place him elsewhere on the grid. Theoretically, he could offer any team financial incentives to field the promising Italian.
But he wields most influence over Mercedes’ engine customers. McLaren aren’t a realistic option, and Williams have spoken about their duo of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as the best on the grid.
With Aston Martin switching to Honda, that just leaves Alpine. And fortunately for Wolff, they have a spot open amid uncertainty over Franco Colapinto.
Alpine have held talks with Mercedes over reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, but they could end up with a different member of the roster. The Enstone outfit have scored six podiums since their 2021 rebrand, amassing 524 points.
Why Kimi Antonelli’s potential Alpine switch could be a blessing in disguise
Antonelli would likely be devastated if Wolff made this decision. He’d be swapping a potentially dominant 2026 package for a major unknown – Alpine are currently bottom of the constructors’.
It could take a while to recover from the blow to his confidence. But it might be read as a blessing in disguise.
Indeed, Helmut Marko predicts that Verstappen would derail Antonelli’s career if they were teammates. He’s already done this to highly-rated drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda.
Antonelli might one day be good enough to take on the Dutchman. But at this stage of his career, he may not be ready for such a challenge.
