High expectations for Antonelli in 2025

It is a young talent who is not afraid. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, currently a Formula 2 driver at Prema, will become the new teammate of George Russell. The Italian will therefore be replacing the seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will be joining Ferrari. This responsibility does not seem to scare the 18-year-old driver, who does not see himself as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, but as the future Mercedes driver, which shows the maturity of this young boy.

« Replacing Lewis Hamilton is impossible. He is an iconic figure in our sport, having accomplished so much. I don’t want to be seen as his replacement, I am simply the next Mercedes driver for 2025, and I am extremely excited about it. » Nevertheless, the pressure will be very high for the Formula 2 driver, who is going to experience his first full season in a top team, where the demand for daily results is high. Mercedes, having won all the titles between 2014 and 2020 and achieved three victories this season, sets the bar high. Nonetheless, the Italian feels ready to take on this challenge, believing that his preparation in the simulator and the private tests organized by Mercedes have helped him a lot, but now it is time for him to learn directly on the track.

A driver already felt ready for Formula 1.

« I feel ready for F1,” Antonelli told La Gazzetta dello Sport. « In terms of speed, I think it won’t be a problem. The only thing where there will be a lot of work to do is managing the race weekend in the best possible way and learning all the procedures. So, there will be a lot of things to assimilate. » The Italian therefore considers himself capable of competing with the best drivers on the grid. His team, Mercedes, also seems to share this opinion, explaining that his speed should not be a problem, which he has indeed confirmed this year in F2 by winning two races. However, he still has a lot to learn due to his lack of experience in the discipline.

« It is certain that his pure speed is there. He is capable of sitting in the car and doing fast laps. Tire management is a work in progress and a learning curve. So, it is moving forward. It is exactly with this in mind that the objectives were set for a 17-year-old to develop and eventually be ready one day to get into a race car », Toto Wolff revealed when asked about the reasons that led him to choose Antonelli after his accident during the first free practice session at Monza.

Antonelli wants to win victories in 2025.

Despite this constant pressure of results and his lack of experience behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, the young Italian has expressed his ambition to finish his rookie season with several wins to his name, an achievement that has not been accomplished since a certain Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Winning a few races [next year] would be a dream, he said. It won’t be easy, as all teams will have a competitive car, so it will be very difficult, but that’s the goal. Getting some podium finishes would also be good, but the main objective is to bring home wins.

Before starting his adventure in F1, Antonelli still has to complete his first and therefore last season of Formula 2, before diving into the deep end next year, where his performances will inevitably be closely monitored.