Source: REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw
[Saba Sports News] Former Canadian F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve recently discussed the topic of Mercedes announcing rookie driver Andri Kimi Antonelli securing a seat for next season during a media interview. He stated that Antonelli does not currently appear to be the next Max Verstappen, and that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff’s comments are overly confident. Previously, Wolff had stated that Antonelli is the best product from Mercedes’ youth program and has shown outstanding technical performance, expressing great optimism for his future. Villeneuve remarked, “When Verstappen entered F1, he also honed his skills with the junior Red Bull team for a while. Only when he was ready did Red Bull promote him to the main team. In my opinion, Mercedes’ decision to push Antonelli directly to the front line is very unwise and not beneficial for his growth.”