Jenson Button puts Toto Wolff on alert...

Jenson Button puts Toto Wolff on alert after Lewis Hamilton’s… Read More

Former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has issued a warning to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff regarding the potential promotion of 17-year-old racing prodigy Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton. With Hamilton set to move to Ferrari next year, Antonelli has emerged as a leading candidate to fill the vacant seat at Mercedes. However, Button, who himself entered Formula 1 at a young age, cautioned that placing such a young driver in a high-pressure environment could have detrimental effects on his career.

As Mercedes prepares to announce who will join George Russell on the grid in 2025, all eyes are on the team, especially with the Dutch Grand Prix marking the resumption of the Formula 1 season. The departure of Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, leaves a significant void in the team, and the prospect of a young, inexperienced driver like Antonelli stepping into his shoes has sparked considerable debate.

Button, who made his Formula 1 debut at the age of 20, understands the challenges of entering the sport at a young age. Reflecting on his own experience, he recounted the skepticism he faced when he first joined the grid. Despite criticism that he was too young, Button nearly scored points in his debut race at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix, only to be sidelined by mechanical failure just 11 laps from the finish.

In an interview with RacingNews365, Button recalled the doubts surrounding his early career: “I remember, even Martin Brundle said, ‘It’s too young for him.’ But it was right to say that I was very young. I had hardly any testing because the engines kept blowing up, so I didn’t have enough mileage to get a super licence, but they gave me one. I went and crashed in Melbourne in practice, and it was like ‘See, we told you!’ And then I was running in sixth in the race before the engine blew up. So I could have scored points in my first F1 race.”

Button emphasized the importance of timing in a young driver’s career. “I don’t think it was too early,” he continued. “I think you have to take every opportunity when it comes to you, especially for youngsters at 17, 18, or 19.” However, he also stressed the delicate balance that teams must strike when promoting young talent, noting that the pressures of Formula 1 can be overwhelming for even the most promising drivers.

“The teams, I think they need to really think about what they’re doing to a driver in his career at that age,” Button warned. “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’s concerns are particularly relevant given the intense scrutiny that would be placed on Antonelli if he were to replace Hamilton at Mercedes. Unlike Oliver Bearman, another young driver expected to make the jump to Formula 1 with Haas next season, Antonelli would be stepping into the spotlight as the successor to one of the sport’s greatest champions. The pressure to perform at such a high level could be overwhelming for a teenager still in the early stages of his career.

Wolff has so far remained tight-lipped about Antonelli’s chances of securing the coveted seat at Mercedes. However, he did acknowledge in June that the team is closely monitoring the young driver’s progress in Formula 2. “We’re leaving the second seat open for the moment; we don’t want to make a decision,” Wolff said. “He’s doing a great job in testing with us in F1, he’s good in F2. The team-mate [Bearman] is the benchmark. So yeah, we’re observing.”

As the Formula 1 season progresses and the competition intensifies, the decision of who will replace Hamilton at Mercedes is likely to remain a hot topic of discussion. For now, Button’s words of caution serve as a reminder of the potential risks involved in fast-tracking young talent to the pinnacle of motorsport. Whether Antonelli is ultimately deemed ready for the challenge or whether Mercedes opts for a more experienced driver, the decision will have significant implications for both the team’s future and the trajectory of Antonelli’s career.