F1 Pundit Asserts Max Verstappen to Mercedes Would’ve ‘Ended’ Kimi Antonelli’s career

James Hinchcliffe believes that Max Verstappen could've easily destroyed Kimi Antonelli's career early on if the former joined Mercedes.

F1 Pundit Asserts Max Verstappen to Mercedes Would’ve ‘Ended’ Kimi Antonelli’s career

Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

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Max Verstappen was the center of intense rumors of joining Mercedes in the 2026 season. Red Bull’s performance struggles further helped strengthen these rumors. If Verstappen were to move to Brackley, either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli could have been axed from the German carmaker. However, the Dutchman stopped the rumors and declared his continuation with Milton Keynes. Still, F1 TV analyst James Hinchliffe predicted what could have happened to Antonelli if the four-time champion were to join Mercedes.

George Russell has been racing with Mercedes since the 2022 season. However, Russell hasn’t competed for a driver’s title yet, and isn’t looking hopeful this year either. On the other hand, Kimi Antonelli is a rookie and has been Mercedes’ product through and through. The 18-year-old has showcased great promise in his debut season.

However, it was still uncertain about which driver would be snubbed to make way for Max Verstappen at Mercedes. Russell was reportedly talking to other teams as he feared being axed by the team. The Briton wasn’t concerned with the delay in his contract extension, claiming things were on track. Kimi Antonelli, despite being fast, couldn’t match up to Verstappen as the latter is known as a ‘career killer‘.

James Hinchliffe recalled the time when the rumors were at their peak. The Canadian believed that Toto Wolff wouldn’t care about Kimi Antonelli and snub him to make way for Max Verstappen. This was plausible as Verstappen could’ve ended Antonelli’s career, beating him by a great margin. Hinchliffe added that no driver could survive alongside the reigning world champion.

When all the rumours were going around about Max maybe going to Mercedes, I remember thinking like, ‘oh, Toto [Wolff] doesn’t care about Kimi Antonelli’, because you will end his career if you put Max beside him. And it’s nothing on Kimi. Nobody has been able to survive alongside him.

James Hinchliffe told GPblog

Red Bull challenger allegedly ‘built around’ Max Verstappen

Red Bull managed to dominate during the beginning years of the ground-effect era. Max Verstappen clearly remained the top driver while his teammate Sergio Perez suffered from a woeful time against Verstappen. As such, James Hinchliffe reckoned that the challengers were built around the Dutchman, as he pondered over the possibility of both Red Bull drivers fighting for race wins at the forefront.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

James Hinchliffe asserted that the cars of these regulations were built around Max Verstappen, as Sergio Perez was clearly the second driver. However, with a new leadership and a different mindset now, Hinchliffe hoped for the setup window to be a bit bigger than it is currently. This would ultimately give the constructor a better shot at having both drivers competing at the forefront. The Canadian cast doubts over this possibility, but believes that it will be possible sooner or later. Though, one must note that Verstappen has denied such claims time and time again.

It’s an interesting question because obviously the current generation car was really built around Max. Checo [Perez] was the second driver at the time. So maybe with a bit of a different mindset, it’ll leave the setup window a little bit bigger, the performance window a little bit bigger and give the team a better shot at having both drivers competing at the front. It’s very possible but we just don’t know.

James Hinchliffe noted

The 2025 season is halfway over, with just ten races left until completion of the season. Max Verstappen isn’t seemingly in the mix for the drivers’ title as the McLarens ride off in the distance. However, the Dutchman will still give it his all in the final races and hopes to improve his position in the pecking order.

Read More: Ex-F1 Driver Declares Max Verstappen ‘CRUCIAL’ for Red Bull Amid Talent Exodus