If you can’t sign Max Verstappen, the best alternative is to get the next Max Verstappen.

And that increasingly appears to be the plan for Mercedes as it works on replacing Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Mercedes has long seen Andrea Kimi Antonelli - or Kimi Antonelli as he’s known - as the next big thing. Since it signed the Italian when he was a 12-year-old karter back in April 2019, Antonelli has emerged as the star of its young driver programme.

And Hamilton’s unexpected departure means Antonelli is on course to be in a Mercedes far earlier than expected, probably as George Russell’s team-mate in 2025.