Ecclestone expects Antonelli to join Ferrari; Stuck advises Mercedes stay

Bernie Ecclestone believes newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli will eventually leave Mercedes for Ferrari, saying the Italian team has little choice if it wants to return to winning drivers' championships. Speaking to f1-insider.com at Interlagos, Ecclestone said Antonelli's love for Italy would draw him to Maranello if he keeps winning, and compared the young driver's single-minded approach to that of Max Verstappen.

Hans-Joachim Stuck agreed that signing Antonelli would be an enormous coup for Ferrari, but said he would not make the switch yet. Citing Toto Wolff as his team boss and the foundation Mercedes provides, Stuck said Antonelli would probably struggle at a Ferrari that is not currently as well positioned as Mercedes, and advised him to stay for at least the next two seasons.