Martin Brundle has delivered his verdictౠ on Kimi Antonelli’s first F1 session in a Mercedes.

Antonelli cr💃ashed just min💦utes into FP1 on Friday - a dreadful start for the teen driver who is set to replace Lewis Hamilton next season as Mercedes’ new hope.

Toto Wolff reacted to Antonelli’s crash by insisting his faith remains steadfa🐬st in the 18-year-old prodigy.

“Toto is doin🔯g the only thing he can - to support his man,” Skyꦐ Sports’ Brundle said.

“They are not going to get Max Verstappen. It seems that they are going to🌞 use Antonelli, who is clearly a big star in the making.

“All they can do is mitigate.

“Sir Jackie Stewart, for many decades, has had an expression: ‘Pupꦛpy dogs will wet the carpet!’

“That’s more or less what Toto is saying but in a more el🥀oquent w✨ay.

“Antonelli is lucky that he’s got such an understanding team and boss around him, and that they 🌄believe in him so much.

“Onwar🌞ds and upwards. He went straigh𓃲t back out to start pumping in F2 times, which was impressive.”

After a routine trip to the medical centre on Friday after his FP1 crash, Antonelli returned to the track for 🔴F𒅌ormula 2 qualifying.

He qualified sixth for F2 action at Monza this wee𝔍kend.

'Spotlight of F1' warning for Antonelli

Anto🐠nelli is expected to be named by Mercedes as 🔯the successor to Ferrari-bound Hamilton.

His ♛entry into Formula 1 will make him the most highly-touted rookie since Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

“He is, but you never know until they are under thౠe spotlight of F1 when they are measured in every way, 🌜every day,” Brundle said.

“It’s lik𝐆e a flower growing. Sometimes the spotlight makes the flower grow taller, sometimes it wilts them. You never know until they are in that situat𒆙ion.

“There have been drivers who were sensational in kartinꦅg an♏d junior racing but got to F1 then didn’t deliver.

“Where he’s a lucky boy is that he will pa💦rachute into a front-ru🤡nning, grand prix-winning, perhaps championship-winning team.

“That means you don’t go through year🍰s at the back of the grid, all t𒉰he shunts, all the pressure.”