Jenson Button has issued a cautionary note to Mercedes regarding their potential decision to promote young Italian talent, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, to a race seat in F1 in 2025.
Ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari at the end of the year, Mercedes is faced with a crucial decision that could significantly impact its future performance and the career of its promising protégé.
So far, Antonelli appears to be Mercedes’ favourite option to fill Hamilton’s upcoming vacant seat, and the Brackley squad is actively preparing the 17-year-old for the job at hand.
Alongside his campaign this year in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Prema, Antonelli is also following a comprehensive private F1 test programme with Mercedes.
While acknowledging Antonelli’s immense talent, which the teenager put to good use last time out at Silverstone where he won the F2 sprint event in dominant fashion, Button emphasized the potential pitfalls of thrusting the young gun into the high-pressure world of Formula 1.
As a precocious talent himself who made his F1 debut at just 20, the 2009 F1 World Champion believes that careful consideration must be given to the impact of such a rapid ascent
“I don't think it’s too early, I think you have to take every opportunity when it comes to you, especially for youngsters at 17, 18 or 19,” Button told the media, quoted by RacingNews365.
©Mercedes
“You can't say no! But the teams, I think they need to really think about what they're doing to a driver in his career at that age.
“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.”
Drawing on his own experience, Button recalled the scrutiny he faced as one of the youngest drivers on the grid.
“I remember, even Martin Brundle said 'It's too young for him'," the Briton added. “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 it to me. 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."
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