Kimi Antonelli is taking part in his first official pre-season testing as an F1 driver this week. The Italian will drive the W16 alongside George Russell over three days in Bahrain.
Antonelli is one of six new full-time drivers on the grid and four rookies – Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman have already raced three or more Grand Prix. The 18-year-old – the third youngest driver in F1 history – arguably has the most hype around him coming into 2025.
Mercedes have trusted the young sensation to replace Lewis Hamilton after a hugely impressive junior career. Antonelli has racked up incredible mileage with the team already as they prepare him for his rookie season.
Making his debut for one of F1’s most successful teams will bring immense pressure, even more so that Antonelli is taking the seat of the sport’s greatest driver statistically.
Looking at the Italian’s times in testing in Bahrain will not give a true reflection of his pace in the W16. But it will give a good indication as to whether he feels comfortable with the new machine.
Antonelli is excited to drive the W16 in 2025 and will hope it is competitive as Mercedes look to improve on their fourth-place finish in the constructors’ championship in 2024.
Bernie Collins explains why Mercedes have Kimi Antonelli in George Russell’s garage
Antonelli has taken the 2025 Mercedes challenger during the morning session on day one in Bahrain, with teammate Russell set to drive in the afternoon. Many fans would have noticed the former is using the latter’s garage.
Bernie Collins reported from the pit lane on Sky Sports to explain why. Each team will run a single car in each session in Bahrain, with Mercedes looking to test both sides of the garage over the next three days.
“We’ve discussed a little bit all teams running a single car. So the number 12’s on the car, Kimi’s in the car but above the garage is George Russell’s name,” she said.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
“So why have they put the wrong name above this car in the garage? Well, the reason being that single car test that we do.
“So they’ve got two sides of the garage set up, one George’s named, one Kimi. They’ll switch drivers at lunchtime through the day and what they’ll do with the test is today they’ll test this half of the garage and at some other point, they’ll test the other half.
“That systems check, not for the cars, but for the garage, the mechanics, the side benches, the engineers, to make sure everything’s working.”
What Christian Horner and Zak Brown are expecting from Kimi Antonelli in 2025
Expectations will be high on Antonelli this season. While he is a rookie and mistakes are bound to happen, he is racing for a team expected to win races.
Mercedes fell away from the top three in 2024 as they struggled with inconsistent machinery. Gary Anderson says Mercedes have ‘gone to town’ on the W16 as they look to improve their fortunes.
With Russell and Antonelli on board, the Silver Arrows will be confident about their chances. But Karun Chandhok has warned Antonelli it will be ‘very different’ for him when the pressure hits during a race weekend.
Christian Horner and Zak Brown expect Antonelli to win in 2025 as they anticipate arguably the most competitive season in F1 history. It would be an incredible feat for the 18-year-old to achieve but it may be a step too far in his rookie season.
It does highlight how much pressure the Italian will be under this season. It is up to Mercedes to keep him grounded to extract the most out of the next rising star in the sport.
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