Mercedes F1’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli prepares to succeed, not replace, Lewis Hamilton

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MONZA, Italy — Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 debut was over almost as quickly as it began.

The 18-year-old driver topped the timesheets early in first practice for the Italian Grand Prix; however, he quickly lost control at Parabolica, the high-speed Turn 11, and crashed into the tire barriers. The Formula 2 driver was okay and walked away feeling he had learned a lesson “the hard way.”

“I learned that I can’t just go flat out and push the limits. Especially looking back, the track was very slippery. The grip was a lot lower than expected,” Antonelli said. “I definitely pushed too hard. The next few times I’ll try to build the run more progressively instead of just pushing the limits.”

Antonelli admitted he had made a mistake, but less than 24 hours later Mercedes announced the Italian would complete its driver line-up for 2025, making Antonelli the third confirmed rookie for next season.

Antonelli has made rapid progress through the junior ranks, skipping a few stops along the way. His crash in FP1 wouldn’t be the first time that sceptics have wondered: is Antonelli, who only turned 18 a week ago, ready for the step up to F1?

Mercedes thinks so.

“As a driver, you either have the speed or you don’t. I have every confidence that Kimi has the speed. Everyone on their journey is going to make mistakes,” George Russell said on Saturday. “That’s part of life and part of this sport. I have no doubt that Kimi will learn from yesterday, but he definitely has the speed to help Mercedes get back to the front of the grid next year and beyond, and that’s exactly why he’ll be in the car next year with me.”

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Antonelli’s background

Antonelli’s rise in Formula 1 is comparable to that of reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman went straight from Formula 3 to an F1 seat in 2015, becoming the youngest driver ever to start a Grand Prix at the age of 17. Antonelli skipped F3 altogether and went straight to F2 in 2024 after being crowned Formula Regional Europe and Formula Regional Middle East champion last year. That came after four consecutive title wins dating back to 2020 (two European karting, ADAC F4 and Italian F4).

Skipping a step up the motorsport ladder and accelerating a driver’s career is not a typical Mercedes approach. With Russell, for example, he raced at every level — F4, F3, F2 — before reaching F1. But as Antonelli rose, scepticism followed.

Spectators and the media will likely analyse every mistake the young driver makes, especially if he is driving for a leading team.

“One of the most important factors is that when you know you have a team like Mercedes around you that really believes in you, and they have believed in me from a young age, it really helps you to feel and deal with that pressure really well,” Antonelli said when asked how he prepares to deal with the pressure.

Marco Antonelli and Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the Formula 2 Sprint Race at Silverstone Circuit in Northampton, Great Britain on July 6, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Although I sometimes can’t quite cope with that, I still get the right support from Mercedes, but also from my family. So I’m very happy to be with them and very happy with the support they give me. Not only in the past, but also now.”

Antonelli was born in Bologna and comes from a family where both parents are involved in his career. The father (who has experience in racing in European touring cars) has a great knowledge of racing and the mother continues to support him, Wolff said.

The Mercedes team boss discussed how humility and loyalty are essential qualities for the 18-year-old, saying the family remained loyal to Mercedes despite rival teams chasing him. “Marco Antonelli has always been clear: ‘You gave us the opportunity, and that’s why we’re staying with you.’”

And then there’s Antonelli’s sheer talent. There are qualities you can’t teach a driver, and Wolff reiterated how “it’s easier to calm someone down in terms of aggression than the other way around.”

“James Allison actually said that when (Antonelli) launched himself on the first lap (on Friday), the first braking into the chicane, he already had both tires in the grass,” Wolff continued. “So the difference between free practice and qualifying is something we need to discuss!

“But that’s also Kimi. He puts the car on the ground, and (to) be able to crush it — crush it, not crash it — on the first lap is a big ability.”

A new era

It can be intimidating to start this sport as a beginner.

They’ve trained their whole lives for this moment, dreaming of reaching the pinnacle of motorsport, but dealing with the noise is another story. Antonelli will take to the grid at 18, the third-youngest F1 driver in history when he makes his debut in Australia, filling the vacancy left by one of the sport’s biggest names, Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli does not see his promotion as a replacement for the seven-time world champion, but as the start of a new chapter in Mercedes’ illustrious history.

“I don’t think it’s possible to replace Lewis Hamilton. He’s such a great figure in the sport today and he’s achieved so much in his career. So I don’t want to be seen as his replacement – ​​I’m just the next driver for Mercedes in 2025,” Antonelli said. “I’m very excited about that. But he’s a really great driver and he’s really given some support, so I’m very happy.”

Hamilton has been with Mercedes for 12 seasons and has built one of the longest driver-team relationships on the grid. The Briton shocked the F1 world when it was announced he would be joining Ferrari from 2025. Wolff said he had decided who would fill the vacancy five minutes after speaking to Hamilton about his decision.

“We’ve won eight constructors’ titles and six drivers’ titles together, and he’s the biggest personality in the sport, with the greatest gravitas and international recognition, but he’s also the one who broke all the records,” Wolff said. “When Lewis decided to take on another challenge, no one can replace him in all his stature. But that doesn’t mean the team won’t flourish with two drivers who represent the future.”

Antonelli debriefs with Peter Bonnington at Monza. Bonnington is Hamilton’s regular engineer and will fill the same role for Antonelli in 2025. (Pro Shots/Sipa USA)

Antonelli said he remained focused on delivering his F2 campaign and testing previous cars (TPC) while Wolff and Mercedes discussed his future. According to Antonelli and Wolff, he has done around 10 TPCs this year, including two at the Red Bull Ring (it snowed during one), two in Barcelona and one each in Imola, Spa and Silverstone. The team boss added: “We’re going to continue with that because if you look at the blueprint that Lewis gave at the time, it was a lot of testing to not only prepare for the driving but also to go through the preparation for the race weekend, which is what we did last time. So that programme continues.”

Mercedes considered placing Antonelli at Williams, as it did with Russell from 2019 to 2021, Wolff said. The team believed the test programme would better help Antonelli continue his F1 machine training. Wolff added: “I think the more miles you do, especially in a car that’s not great, the TPC car (which was the 2022 car) wasn’t our best car, he’ll be in it for between 15 and 20 days, and that’s important.”

Antonelli recently said he may not be ready to make the step up to F1, but on Saturday he said the TPC programme was helping him prepare. He was starting to feel better driving the car and seeing improvements, including on the long runs (which he said was a previous weak point). He admitted he was still learning, but added: “Every time I got in the car I felt so much better.”

Mistakes happen. Many of the best drivers have made mistakes in their careers, especially in the early years. What is important and will shape the beginning of Antonelli’s career is how he learns and grows after his FP1 crash, making a name for himself as part of a legendary F1 team.

“That will be a valuable lesson, because it’s not about having fun in an F3 car in Silverstone in the rain,” Wolff said. “This is Formula 1 – there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with it, for the best car brand in the world, for many thousands of people. And that’s why Kimi learned yesterday in a very, very hard way. I think that moment must have been very tough. And George put his day and his weekend in jeopardy, and Kimi knows that.

“But sometimes it has to sting. Then it sticks.”

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Top photo: Sipa USA