30/07/2025 18:20
Kimi Antonelli has delivered an update on his Mercedes contract
situation, following the discovery that Toto Wolff's talks with Max
Verstappen have faded. Ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix,
the Mercedes team principal delivered his biggest indicator yet
that Verstappen will not be signing for the Silver Arrows next
season. As a result, it is widely expected that Antonelli and
George Russell will be retained, at least for the 2026 season.
Antonelli's contract does expire at the end of this campaign, with
the teenager having endured a difficult run of form at a time when
Mercedes' seats have been a hot topic. The Italian has scored
points in just one of the past six races, whilst he retired in four
of those. F1's European races have not been kind to the
18-year-old, who is hoping to make progress in Spa-Francorchamps.
However, when it comes to his future, Antonelli has never been
concerned about his seat and has insisted the atmosphere within the
team is better than ever. Discussing speculation surrounding his
future, Antonelli told media: "I've never been worried, to be
honest. I know the situation, I know what the team wants,
especially looking at the future. "So I think also Toto has been
clear recently, so that's obviously good to see. But, I think the
team is working well. The line-up is good. Me and George are
working well together, and we are trying to work together also as a
team to find performance. "So, I think we're doing a pretty good
job. And also there's a really good atmosphere in the team. It's
always nice to go back to the factory and see how much the team is
pushing, not only for this year, but also ahead of next year. "So,
this means above that there's a good dynamic in the team. And yeah,
but I'm sure the team knows what's the best for, especially next
year."
