He is a young talent who is not afraid. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, currently a Formula 2 driver at Prema, will become George Russell’s new teammate. The Italian will therefore be the replacement for seven-time British world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will join Ferrari. A responsibility which does not seem to frighten the young 18-year-old driver, who does not see himself as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton, but as the future Mercedes driver, which testifies to the maturity shown by this young boy.
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“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’m just the next Mercedes driver for 2025, and that excites me immensely. » The pressure will nevertheless be very high for the Formula 2 driver, who will experience a first full season in a top team, where the demand for results daily. Mercedes, having won every title between 2014 and 2020 and achieving three victories this season, sets the bar high. Despite everything, 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 that it is now time for him to learn directly on the track .
A driver already felt ready for Formula 1
“I feel ready for F1”Antonelli said to 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 to assimilate. » The Italian therefore considers himself capable of measuring himself against 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 also 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.
“Certainly his pure speed is there. He is able to sit in the car and do fast laps. Tire management is a work in progress and a learning curve. So it’s moving forward. It is exactly with this in mind that the goals were set for a 17 year old to develop and finally be ready one day to get into a racing car”revealed Toto Wolff when asked the reasons which pushed him to choose Antonelli after his accident during the first free practice session at Monza.
Antonelli wants to achieve victories in 2025
Despite this constant pressure for results and his lack of experience behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, the young Italian expressed his ambition to finish his rookie season with several victories under his belt, a feat which has not been achieved since. a certain Lewis Hamilton in 2007. “Win a few races [l’année prochaine] would be a dream »he said. “It won’t be easy, because all the teams will have a competitive car, so it will be very difficult, but that’s the goal. Getting a few podiums would also be nice, but the main goal is to bring home wins. »
Before starting his adventure in F1, Antonelli must still complete his first and therefore last season of Formula 2, before jumping into the deep end next year, where his performances will inevitably be closely monitored.
