The Brackley-based squad is on the hunt for a new team-mate for George Russell in 2025, and team boss Toto Wolff has hinted at the possibility of the squad going "bold" in its choice.
That remark could be a reference to it steering clear of going for an experienced hand and instead taking a risk on slotting in its protege Antonelli.
The highly-rated Italian, a two-time European karting champion, has made a stunning impression in the junior categories, winning the Italian and ADAC F4 titles in 2022 and the Formula Regional European Championship last year.
Those successes have prompted Mercedes to move Antonelli up to F2 in 2024, and skip F3 entirely, where he will continue with the Prema team.
While there is little doubt that Antonelli has what it takes to eventually make the jump to F1, the key consideration for Mercedes will be whether or not he could do it with the German manufacturer as a starting point.
Although much will depend on how quickly Antonelli can adapt to F2, Wolff does not want to start fuelling talk that the youngster could be a contender to take over from Hamilton, who will be joining Ferrari for 2025.
Source: Autosport