India, May 18 -- Kimi Antonelli may have sparked excitement among motorsport fans after hinting that he wanted to earn his Nordschleife permit "by the end of the year," but Mercedes have quickly cooled down the speculation. The teenage Formula 1 star recently spoke about his interest in tackling the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife, a circuit famously known as the "Green Hell," leading many to wonder if he could follow Max Verstappen into racing there.

However, Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord made it clear during the Nurburgring 24 Hours that the team has no plans to let Antonelli attempt it anytime soon. "No," Lord said bluntly when asked if Mercedes would allow the 19-year-old to obtain the DMSB Nordschleife Permit this y...