Bearman's F1 debut gives Wolff inspiration for key decision

Mercedes have a vacant second seat for the 2025 Formula 1 season, and Toto Wolff is considering his options. Oliver Bearman made his debut in Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia. His strong performance may have inspired Toto Wolff to make the choice he has to make in the coming months.

Now that Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff must look for his replacement. Many different drivers are linked to the team's empty seat. One driver mentioned a lot in particular is Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Wolff is very impressed with the Italian F2 rookie.

Does Antonelli now stand a better chance of getting a seat at Mercedes?

In Saudi Arabia, Oliver Bearman got to experience his F1 debut at Ferrari. This was because Carlos Sainz had to undergo surgery. Naturally, Toto Wolff watched along to see how Bearman performed. He, therefore, speaks highly of the Brit's debut. "He was one of the good ones last year already in F2. And you can see that the level of performance is just so high with these young generations. It starts from the Minis, at eight years old in a kart, they do 150 testing days. And so you grow real professionals through the ranks. It gets more and more competitive from go karting to the Junior Formulas."

Bearman's good performance might make Wolff think about giving Antonelli a chance in Formula 1. "The one that rise to the top are perfectly capable of being very successful in F1. And you can see that with Bearman. He's being put in the deep and he's performed. His last third of the race was spectacular," the Mercedes team boss said after the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.