Kimi Antonelli's readiness for Formula 1 remains an open question, according to former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya.
The 18-year-old Antonelli had his first two practice sessions in Monza and Mexico, but Montoya, who like millions of others is following the Italian's progress closely, remains unconvinced.
Montoya noted that Antonelli seemed to approach his Monza debut far too aggressively. "He came out onto the track and gave the impression that he wanted to break the lap record straight away," Montoya told W Radio Colombia. "Then he wrecked the car."
Reflecting on his own Monza experience, Antonelli acknowledged his mistake: "There was so much hype around the whole weekend, and I guess you could say I learned a lesson the hard way with what happened in FP1," he admitted.
Taking a different approach in Mexico, Antonelli opted for caution. "I had more time to prepare, because it was not an F2 weekend," he said. "It was a much cleaner session and was definitely what was needed after Monza. I didn't want to take any risks, and I learned a lot."
Montoya, however, was again unimpressed. "In Mexico, in my opinion, he drove too cautiously so as not to damage anything," he observed. "In Monza he was criticised because he put the car off the track, now in Mexico he was too slow, and of course that is not good either. You have to find the right balance, and I see that as a problem," Montoya added.
Nonetheless, Montoya acknowledged Antonelli's potential. "Kimi has the ability and the speed to compete in Formula 1, there's no doubt about that," he said, noting the driver's extensive experience from numerous test drives in a previous-generation Mercedes. However, he added, "But I ask myself - is he really ready for this step?"
In light of Antonelli's struggles, some speculate that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff might be considering Valtteri Bottas as a reserve option in case Antonelli falters. Wolff, however, emphasized his commitment to Antonelli and George Russell.
"You have to have confidence in your drivers," he told Kronen Zeitung. "Only if things really go wrong will we consider other options. It's like flirting with others while you're trying to make your relationship work."
