Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be loaned to Alpine for the F1 2026 season if Mercedes opt to pair Max Verstappen with George Russell, it has been claimed.
Verstappen has been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes over recent weeks despite being under contract with Red Bull until the end of the F1 2028 season.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli to join Alpine if Max Verstappen signs for Mercedes?
Christian Horner, the now-former Red Bull team principal, confirmed to media including PlanetF1.com last year that Verstappen’s deal contains a “performance element” that could see him leave the team before 2028.
It is believed that Verstappen will be free to activate an exit clause if he is lower than fourth in the Drivers’ championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break, later this month.
Verstappen currently holds third in the standings with an 18-point advantage over Russell.
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A recent report claimed that Verstappen is close to reaching an agreement to join Mercedes for the F1 2026 season with the deal gaining the approval of Mercedes chief executive Ola Kallenius.
It came after Russell, whose current contract is due to expire at the end of this season, revealed at the recent Austrian Grand Prix that talks to take Verstappen to Mercedes are “ongoing.”
Russell’s contractual situation means he is seen as the driver most likely to make way if Mercedes proves successful in its pursuit of Verstappen.
However, it has been suggested that Antonelli, who has enjoyed an impressive debut season after replacing seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton for F1 2025, could be moved aside instead.
A report by Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport has claimed that Antonelli could find a ‘temporary home’ at the Alpine team if Mercedes opt to pair Verstappen and Russell.
Alpine will replace Aston Martin as Mercedes’ third customer team for F1 2026, joining reigning constructors’ champions McLaren and Williams, after parent company Renault opted to repurpose its historic engine facility.
It is said that Russell will not accept a one-year contract extension with Mercedes for F1 2026 with the four-time race winner insistent on a multi-year deal, raising the possibility of an exciting partnership with Verstappen.
The report adds that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Flavio Briatore, the Alpine executive adviser, were spotted in a meeting at the end of the race in Austria last month.
However, it is thought that any discussions about drivers were related to Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes reserve driver who has been linked with a mid-season switch to Alpine as a potential replacement for Franco Colapinto.
Wolff confirmed to media including PlanetF1.com at the British Grand Prix that he has spoken to Briatore “a few times” about Bottas’s availability.
PlanetF1.com understands that Colapinto, who replaced Jack Doohan as Pierre Gasly’s team-mate in May, is currently operating on a race-by-race contract as Alpine keeps its options open for the rest of 2025 and F1 2026.
Verstappen and Russell are known to have an uneasy relationship with the pair embroiled in a war of words in the closing weeks of the 2024 season.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com in Austria, however, Wolff hinted that he would have no concerns about employing the pair as Mercedes team-mates.
Asked if he could imagine Verstappen and Russell in the same team, he said: “I can imagine every lineup.
“I had [Nico] Rosberg and Hamilton fighting for a World Championship, so everything else afterwards is easy.
“There are pros and cons of having two drivers fighting each other hard and we’ve seen examples where that functions and other examples where it didn’t.”
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Despite the speculation surrounding his future, Russell himself recently expressed confidence that he will be rewarded for his best-ever start to a season, which culminated in his victory at last month’s Canadian Grand Prix, with a new Mercedes contract.
He said: “Every team has two seats available and it’s normal that every team is considering what the future holds.
“And I don’t take that personally, because I made it clear from the beginning, I’m happy to be team-mates with anybody.
“So of course there’s lots of conversations, lots of rumours and all of these are being pointed towards me, but from my side that isn’t really going to be the case.
“I want to continue with Mercedes into the future.
“The fact is Toto has never let me down. He’s always given me his word, but he’s also got to do what’s right for his team, which includes me, but it also includes the thousands of people who work for Mercedes.
“For me it’s nothing to worry about because I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.
“And whoever my team-mate will be, it doesn’t concern me either. So just focus on the driving.
“The likelihood I’m not at Mercedes next year, I think, is exceptionally low.”
Antonelli is widely regarded as the most exciting talent to arrive in F1 since Verstappen’s debut with Red Bull junior squad Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) more than a decade ago.
The 18-year-old set pole position for the Miami sprint race in May before securing his maiden podium finish with third place in Canada.
However, the Bologna-born driver’s progress has stuttered over recent weeks with Antonelli retiring from four of the last six races.
The Mercedes rookie hit Verstappen on the opening lap of Red Bull’s home race in Austria before withdrawing with damage after a collision with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar at Silverstone.
The teenager currently trails team-mate Russell by 84 points entering next weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
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