Report: Martin Brundle’s Bold Take on Kimi Antonelli Sparks Mick Schumacher huge controversy
Friday’s F1 news features Martin Brundle’s unflattering opinion on Mercedes debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli after a massive crash in practice at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
With debate continuing over Mick Schumacher’s potential to secure a seat, let’s quickly run through the day’s top F1 headlines…
Martin Brundle questions Andrea Kimi Antonelli approach after Monza practice crash
Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle criticized Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s practice crash as “the last thing he or the team needed” after a disappointing debut appearance at the Italian Grand Prix. Antonelli, who is anticipated to be announced as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for the 2025 F1 season, crashed just 10 minutes into FP1 at Monza. Brundle remarked that Antonelli, often compared to Red Bull’s three-time World Champion Max Verstappen, “needed to ease into the session more cautiously.”
Toto Wolff: Andrea Kimi Antonelli ‘needs to cope with heavy burden’
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team boss, stated that Andrea Kimi Antonelli “needs to cope with the pressure” following his early exit from FP1 at Monza. Antonelli, projected to be a future star and likely to be promoted to a race seat for F1 2025, has started an extensive F1 testing program to prepare for his debut. Wolff compared the damage to Antonelli’s Mercedes W15 to a broken Lego set after his crash at Parabolica, emphasizing that the teenager must handle the “heavy burden” if he aspires to be a champion one day.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli speaks out after Monza crash
Andrea Kimi Antonelli admitted he was “not feeling super well” after his crash at Monza, noting that his impact with the barrier at Parabolica registered at “around 52G.” Antonelli apologized to the team and to George Russell, whose FP2 session was delayed due to repairs. He acknowledged that he was “pushing a bit too much for the conditions” and “should have built the run a bit more progressively.” Antonelli remarked, “Definitely lesson learned for next time.” Wolff confirmed that Antonelli’s next FP1 appearance is scheduled for Mexico in October.
James Vowles: Mick Schumacher ‘isn’t special’
James Vowles has explained why Mick Schumacher was not chosen to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season, describing Schumacher as “not special.” Williams recently dropped Sargeant, opting to bring in Argentine youngster Franco Colapinto, a fellow Williams academy graduate, for the last nine races. Despite speculation linking Schumacher and Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson to the seat, Vowles revealed that after negotiations for Lawson fell through, Schumacher was not selected because he was seen as “just good” rather than the exceptional talent Williams was seeking.
Toto Wolff defends Mick Schumacher after James Vowles criticism
Toto Wolff has defended Mick Schumacher following James Vowles’ criticism, asserting that Schumacher was “crushed” by his challenging stint at Haas during 2021/22. Since leaving Haas at the end of 2022, Schumacher has struggled to secure a second chance in F1. Wolff, a longstanding advocate of Schumacher’s talent, believes the 25-year-old has not yet shown his best in F1, emphasizing that Schumacher “won pretty much everything” on his ascent through the racing ranks.