Mercedes told dropping Kimi Antonelli for experienced F1 rival is 'better for him'

Toto Wolff has been urged to axe Kimi Antonelli and bring in a more experienced Formula 1 star for the 2026 campaign. The promising Italian was brought in to fill Lewis Hamilton's shoes but has endured a difficult stint with the Silver Arrows.

While he secured a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, he has failed to replicate that excellence in recent months. Antonelli has found himself involved in numerous collisions, clashing with Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix before eliminating Charles Leclerc from the Zandvoort race last month.

His latest performances have frequently disappointed, with Wolff branding his ninth-place showing at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend as 'underwhelming'. But despite his inconsistent displays, Antonelli is expected to be handed a contract extension by Mercedes.

However, not everyone believes that would be the correct choice for the Silver Arrows. Guenther Steiner has called on Wolff to remove Antonelli from the spotlight by orchestrating an exchange deal with Williams.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner advocated for one of Alex Albon or Carlos Sainz to be given a chance to race for Mercedes next year, while Antonelli finds his feet at Williams. The former Haas chief said: "Kimi and Albon, or Kimi and Sainz, we should say.

"It would be better for Kimi, I think. It would give him time to calm down. Look what happened with Liam Lawson when the pressure is gone. He can have good results, you develop, and then you come back as a better driver.

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"They should try [to do the swap], but I don't think that [Williams team principal] James Vowles is up for that. But it's a good idea, it's better for Kimi. No disrespect, the kid is 19 years old. We can see it is too early for him, [he] makes too many mistakes, even Toto said that.

"Knowing Toto, when he starts to talk about [something], there is always something behind it. Maybe he is thinking about that, saying he is making too many mistakes. Maybe, in one or two races, it is better we send him to Williams to learn, but maybe there is something."

This follows Wolff's revelation that he plans to speak with Antonelli about the 'baggage' he carries from previous races, suspecting the pressure is beginning to burden him. "I think a clean weekend also means almost not to carry too much trauma of previous mistakes into the next session or into the next weekend, because that is baggage," the Austrian said.

"You're not going to attack the corner hard if you've been off there before and it finished your session, or maybe you're not attacking a driver that should not be in your way, like [Pierre] Gasly, because he had this situation with [Charles] Leclerc. I think just freeing him up, freeing him up to drive. He's a great driver. He has this unbelievable ability and natural talent. He's a racer. This is all there, but we need to get rid of the ballast."