Mercedes: Wolff issues '100%' statement on Antonelli

Speaking about the young Italian’s situation on the eve of the Singapore weekend, the Austrian told Sky Sports that Kimi’s future will still lie in Brackley next year.

Mercedes has yet to officially announce the contract renewals of its two drivers, although Max Verstappen himself ruled out any market speculation weeks ago by confirming he will remain with Red Bull next season.

On the eve of the Baku GP, at a time when Antonelli was under heavy pressure due to results that were slow to come, Ralf Schumacher had suggested a hypothetical swap with Carlos Sainz, stating that the Spaniard “would be available at any time.”

However, in light of the positive fourth-place finish in Azerbaijan, the former German driver backtracked, praising the Italian’s performance and admitting that he now finds it hard to see the “door opening again for Carlos Sainz.”

Before Baku, Antonelli was coming off another difficult home weekend at Monza, where he was out of FP2 after just a few minutes due to a spin into the gravel, with the Austrian labelling his weekend as “underwhelming.”