James Allison says Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s potential appears to be like to be very promising after exhibiting “metronomic” tempo for Mercedes in his Components 1 exams to this point.
Antonelli (pictured above) is in his first season in Components 2 however has been earmarked as a possible future F1 driver for Mercedes and examined for the staff in 2021 and 2022 equipment over current weeks. Group technical director Allison says he isn’t concerned in choices about drivers for subsequent 12 months — when a alternative for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton must be discovered — however that the suggestions from these working the exams has been optimistic.
“I’ve had the good pleasure of listening to the opposite engineers describe the interplay with him,” Allison mentioned. “Only a younger and enthusiastic driver, very, very quick. Metronomic in his tempo, has not been in an F1 automobile till not too long ago however made it seem like he’d been in a single for ages inside a lap or two.
“Got here at this era of automobiles, the bottom impact automobiles, with an open thoughts… He feels all the identical issues that you simply’d anticipate him to really feel, however he’s not polluted by the earlier automobiles, so he simply takes them as they’re and tells us what he’s feeling, it’s weaknesses and strengths, and let’s the engineers work to attempt to enhance these issues. He appears to be like like a really promising younger driver.”
It’s not solely drivers the place Mercedes have been coping with modifications — following affirmation of Loic Serra and Jerome D’Ambrosio’s strikes to Ferrari later this 12 months — however with Mercedes bringing in personnel from Ferrari too. Allison isn’t involved in regards to the turnover.
“I feel it’s extra within the regular ebb and movement of an F1 staff.” he mentioned. “The groups are huge lately and in any given 12 months you might be transport out an entire bunch of individuals and transport in an identical quantity. That shall be true in practically each staff.
“Clearly, a staff must have a vital mass of skilled and good individuals and we’d not want to see skilled, good individuals depart us. However we are also gathering skilled and good individuals at an identical price. So I assume it’s our job to attempt and ensure we act in such a means as all people would somewhat be with us than anyplace else.”
