Kimi Antonelli will begin his first F1 season in just a few weeks, and at Mercedes, he will be alongside George Russell and Valtteri Bottas. Gaining experience will be crucial for him to work effectively with the team.
For Mercedes, starting 2025 without the experienced and critical eye of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will not be easy. In his place will be a young rookie with little experience, who still has much to learn. That is why Mercedes has chosen Valtteri Bottas as a reserve driver.
The Finnish driver spent five years sharing the garage with Lewis Hamilton, acquiring significant racing maturity. Now, it is time for him to pass on his knowledge to aid the development of the young Italian.
“When you’re a rookie, when you enter the sport, there are so many new things to learn. I can definitely help with that,” Valtteri Bottas explained. “And my job is to help the team as much as possible. Obviously, Kimi is a newcomer, so he will probably have more questions than George.”
An important presence for car development as well
Since 2022, Mercedes has faced difficulties due to a car that has been hard to understand, with a very narrow optimal operating window and not on par with its rivals.
In this regard, Valtteri Bottas stated that he could help the team recover. “The team will have an extra set of eyes during race weekends, analyzing data, observing the driver’s trajectory, and things like that. I will be involved in all meetings, technical discussions, and I can provide great support in the simulator and similar areas. So it will be a busy year, different for me, but yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
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