Villeneuve Slams Antonelli: 'He's Replacing Hamilton, Not Progressing'

Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve is sharply criticizing Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a top Mercedes prospect, for his recent performances, raising questions about his readiness and progress amidst high expectations.

Why it matters:

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is widely seen as a future star and a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Villeneuve's harsh assessment highlights mounting pressure on the young driver and suggests his current performance isn't matching the immense hype surrounding him.

The Details:

• Underwhelming Monza Outing: Antonelli's F1 experience in Italy was described as 'scruffy'. After beaching his W16 in FP2, he qualified P7 (which became P6 after Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty) but dropped to P10 in the race following a poor start.
• Comparison to Bortoleto: Villeneuve contrasted Antonelli's struggles with Gabriel Bortoleto, another rookie driving for Stake F1. Bortoleto, despite less F1 car preparation and different machinery, has consistently scored points, unlike Antonelli.
• Aggressive Driving Criticized: The 1997 World Champion also condemned Antonelli's move on Williams driver Alexander Albon, where he pushed Albon off track. Villeneuve stated, "You don’t do that in Formula 1... He’s lucky he got only five seconds."

The Bigger Picture:

Villeneuve attributes Antonelli's current struggles to the "big hoopla" surrounding his F1 introduction, where he was labelled as 'the next Max Verstappen' and 'the next Lewis Hamilton'.

• Unmet Expectations: "When you come in with that kind of image, you need to be on it the same way Max was when he came in, the same Lewis was when he came in," Villeneuve explained, adding that Antonelli "hasn’t been making progress. That’s the biggest issue."
• Mercedes' Assessment: Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, echoed similar sentiments, describing Antonelli's Italian Grand Prix performance as "underwhelming."