Andrea Kimi Antonelli is only one month away from his Formula 1 debut in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix after replacing new Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows put their faith in one of their own to replace the most successful F1 driver in history. Hamilton joined Michael Schumacher as a seven-time champion after winning six titles with Mercedes along with setting new records for Grand Prix wins, poles and podiums.
Yet with Mercedes’ persistent struggles to adapt to the ground effect regulations, the Briton left. Now, Hamilton is realising his childhood dream to race for Ferrari and Mercedes will see Antonelli be the third-youngest driver to start an F1 race with his debut at the Australian GP.
Karun Chandhok keen to see how Andrea Kimi Antonelli ‘delivers under pressure’ at the Australian Grand Prix
Antonelli’s graduation to Formula 1 caps his accelerated rise through the junior single-seater classes since joining Mercedes’ driver academy in 2019. The 18-year-old lifted an Italian and ADAC F4 double in 2022, then the Formula Regional Europe and Middle East double in 2023.
Alongside the Bologna boy’s single season in Formula 2 last year after bypassing Formula 3, Mercedes put Antonelli through an extensive test programme. The Silver Arrows utilised the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rules to allow the teenager to lap more than 9,000 kilometres.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
His TPC runs were not impeccable with claims that Antonelli crashed in Mercedes’ older cars multiple times. So, despite the extensive miles the Italian has recorded, Sky Sports F1 pundit Chandhok is keen to see how Antonelli handles the pressure qualifying for the Australian GP.
Chandhok told the Mirror: “He’s been very well prepared by Mercedes. They’ve sent him around the world testing and he’s done probably 10,000 kilometres.
“He’s had more and better preparation than any rookie I can think of in recent memory since Lewis, if you think of the test mileage he’s had and the preparation time he’s had.
“So, I think Mercedes are doing everything they can to give him the right tools he needs to deliver, and now we’ll get to see on a race weekend how that plays out.
“It’s one thing to be testing and pounding it on tracks by yourself with no reference. It’s very different when you’re in Melbourne and there’s 120,000 people watching you qualify and you get two laps to deliver under pressure.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s 52G Monza crash was one of his many offs in F1 cars already
Mercedes have certainly tried to help Antonelli prepare for his Formula 1 debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix as best as they can. Yet pressure will surround the Italian having taken over the seat Hamilton occupied, and it will be a measure of his talent how Antonelli copes.
But he is familiar with high-pressure scenarios as the Italian teen had his F1 weekend debut at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. Although, Antonelli had a 52G crash at Monza after losing the rear of George Russell’s car in FP1 after braking way too late and taking far too much speed.
Clearly, the Bologna boy feels confident to push in F1 cars even if he steps over his and the car’s limits, seeing Antonelli run off track in Mercedes’ 2020 car at Jerez earlier this year in another TPC run, as well. But it will be different pushing the limits when it actually matters.
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