“Money does a lot” - American fans call out FIA after Kimi Antonelli compromise in age bracket

American fans reacted after the FIA changed the rules of the Super License seemingly to assist Kimi Antonelli's F1 debut. Fans on social media lashed out because of Colton Herta's rejection earlier because of a similar issue.

F1's governing body, the FIA, recently changed a rule for the drivers' Super License. This is one of the main requirements for the drivers to be eligible for driving in F1 which was only given to the drivers who were above 18 years of age and had scored a set number of points on the license. However, they recently changed the rules and brought down the minimum age to 17.

This move was seemingly done to assist Kimi Antonelli's F1 debut, which has been speculated with Mercedes. He is reported to replace Lewis Hamilton in the next F1 season. However, American fans on social media were not too pleased with it.

Earlier in 2022, IndyCar driver Colton Herta was speculated to make his F1 debut. However, because of an issue with his FIA super license, he was not allowed to do so. Now that the authority has tweaked the rules for seemingly just one driver, it did not elicit positive reactions on social media. One user wrote:

"So you'll give Colton Herta his super license now yeah?" a user questioned.

Another user wrote:

Some users also mentioned that this was unfair to other drivers currently racing in the junior Formula 2 series, which Antonelli is a part of.

"Oh. Not entirely sure how that’s fair to other drivers….?" A comment read.

"F1 and the FIA are a total joke. Colton Herta got screwed," a user critiqued.

Another IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi also commented on the decision. He said:

With the critical comments against the decision made by the FIA increasing, reports suggest that Mercedes has decided on Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement for the 2025 F1 season.

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Mercedes has signed Kimi Antonelli for 2025: Reports

The vacant seat has witnessed multiple contenders including the likes of reigning world champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz. The latter was reportedly given a one-year term with the team, however, he did not accept it as he was looking for a longer stint.

Recent reports from Bild suggest that Mercedes has already signed Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 F1 season. Meanwhile, the team has yet to announce any such information officially. With the change in the FIA's super license rule, it can be assumed that he might as well get a chance with the team in the coming season.