Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his last nine races with Mercedes, while team principal Toto Wolff has not yet announced who will take over from the seven-time Formula 1 world champion.
Former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button has cautioned Mercedes chief Toto Wolff that appointing 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s successor could jeopardize the young prodigy’s career.
Antonelli, who’ll turn 18 on Sunday, is the firm favourite to succeed seven-time world champion Hamilton, with his move to Ferrari next year edging closer. Mercedes are expected to announce who’ll next partner George Russell from 2025 onwards in the coming weeks, as F1 returns from its summer break at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend with the Silver Arrows in race-winning form.
But Button has warned team principal Wolff that the pressure of succeeding Hamilton could be too much for Antonelli, despite the Italian being labelled the next Max Verstappen. Referencing Ferrari-backed Oliver Bearman’s move to Haas for next season, Button warned: “The teams, I think they need to really think about what they’re doing to a driver in his career at that age.
“If he blossoms great, but with the pressures that this sport brings, it can destroy a driver’s career as well. So there’s a real balance there and teams need to be careful with it.”
Button was merely 20 years old when he made his debut in Formula 1, and the star from Frome encountered skepticism regarding his youth. Nevertheless, he nearly secured points in his inaugural race, having achieved sixth place—the last position that awarded points at the time—before he was compelled to retire with 11 laps remaining in the 2000 Australian Grand Prix.
“I recall that even Martin Brundle remarked, ‘He’s too young for this’,” Button reflected in an interview with RacingNews365. “It was indeed accurate to say I was quite young; I had very limited testing due to frequent engine failures. Consequently, I lacked sufficient mileage to obtain a super licence, yet they granted it to me. I ended up crashing during practice in Melbourne, which led to comments like, ‘We told you so!’.
“Despite that, I was running in sixth place during the race until the engine failed. I could have potentially scored points in my first F1 outing.” Button further stated, “I do not believe it was premature; one must seize every opportunity that arises, particularly for young drivers at ages 17, 18, or 19. Declining such chances is not an option!”
Wolff has remained discreet regarding Antonelli’s prospects of driving for Mercedes in 2025, although he acknowledged in June that the team is closely observing the teenager’s performance in Formula 2.
“We are currently keeping the second seat available; we prefer not to rush into a decision,” Wolff clarified. “He is performing exceptionally well in our F1 tests and is impressive in F2—the teammate (Bearman) serves as the benchmark. Therefore, we are monitoring the situation.”