• @Vinny_93
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    2217 days ago

    I don’t get it. They are citing his performance in F2. I haven’t seen anything special from him in F2 yet, yes he’s won a couple of races but with someone like Drugovich without a seat, Schumacher who is essentially Toto’s best friend and Kimi binning it on his first effort… I can’t help but think this kid is very overrated.

    • @chemical_cutthroat
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      1217 days ago

      Probably got him cheap and are hoping to build a franchise with him, or sell him off in a few years at a profit.

      • @Vinny_93
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        917 days ago

        Doesn’t the same go for Frederik Vesti? He was not good enough for F1, Mercedes academy junior, won the F2 title… The fact that Kimi skipped F3 only speaks against him in my opinion. Look at Piastri, he was very consistent in the junior ranks and he’s holding his own.

        • misery mansion
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          114 days ago

          *almost won the f2 title (he lost to Pourchaire) I don’t think his junior career was quite what Antonelli’s has been. Antonelli has improved a lot after a shaky start but I agree Piastri was on the pace immediately and he had one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory. It was clear he would be f1 material, I’m surprised he didn’t get a seat the next year tbh

          • @Vinny_93
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            214 days ago

            You mean Piastri? He’s with McLaren next year right?

            • misery mansion
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              114 days ago

              Yeah The smart money would have put Piastri in a seat immediately after his f2 season. But he had to sit out. But he has proven his quality in McLaren and is definitely a future WDC contender.

              Vesti never had that spark in my opinion. Neither his or Pourchaire’s F2 season was particularly impressive.

              For Antonelli in F2, we will not find out since he’s already moving on. Prema were nowhere at the start of the season but they’ve improved now, as has Antonelli who looks to be close to Bearman’s pace but with less experience.

              I think he will be decent in the Merc but we shall see. Its a better deal than starting in a backmarker like Schumacher, Sargeant and Colapinto have done.

              • @Vinny_93
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                114 days ago

                For sure. I just think there are many talented young drivers that have proven themselves to be capable in F1 machinery that did not get this preferential treatment. Lawson did a decent job for VCARB, Hadjar has shown he’s a top contender in F2, Martins is finding his footing again, Doohan is finally getting his seat.

                There is so much talent that either has to wait for a seat like this or never gets the chance. Look at the performances Russell had to put in in a really subpar Williams and he reluctantly got a chance when Lewis was out sick. Now he’s matching a 7 time WDC.

                I would not be surprised if Antonelli exits after 30 races and Mercedes chalking it up to bad luck, the car or lack of experience.

                • misery mansion
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                  114 days ago

                  It will be exciting to see hey? 2025 shaping up to be a mega season!

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      1117 days ago

      There is a reason why Schumacher isn’t getting a seat and it is that teams believe they have seen his ceiling of potential.

      With Kimi they assume that he has a high potential even if he isn’t there yet. Now, you could assume the same about Drugovich – in his case there must be something else why he is considered uninteresting

      • @Vinny_93
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        717 days ago

        Considering how Toto reacted when Vowles said such about Schumacher he should put his money where his mouth is