Kimi Antonelli will be the third youngest F1 driver in history when he makes his debut at the Australian Grand Prix next weekend.
The Italian has finally begun life as a Mercedes driver after Toto Wolff signed him to replace the outgoing Lewis Hamilton. After an incredibly impressive junior career, Antonelli has significant hype around him heading into his rookie season.
It is quite uncommon nowadays for drivers to sign for a competitive team as a rookie – ironically the last to do so was Hamilton with McLaren in 2007. Antonelli has big shoes to fill as he joins the Silver Arrows.
But Antonelli is not thinking about Hamilton as he sees himself simply as Mercedes’ next driver. The 18-year-old is looking to get stuck in and make an impression from the off.
The Brackley-based team have been preparing the teenager extensively with Antonelli racking up 9,000km in private tests. Driving for Mercedes brings pressure to perform at the front and compete for podiums and wins.
Antonelli says ‘nobody expects’ him to win in his rookie campaign – but many may want to think again after seeing Mercedes’ latest recruit in action in pre-season testing.
Kimi Antonelli looked ‘calm’ and ‘relaxed’ during pre-season testing in Bahrain with Mercedes
The Italian got his first proper outing in the 2025 Mercedes at the Bahrain International Circuit last week. Antonelli is excited to drive the W16 this season – and it showed on the track.
Alex Brundle noted Antonelli looked confident in the car as he set the fastest time in the morning session on day one. Mercedes completed more laps than any other team across the three days.
Some errors were picked up on by pundits as Jolyon Palmer noticed Antonelli ‘routinely’ struggling with the brakes. This should be expected from a rookie and is something that has already been seen from the 18-year-old.
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Antonelli crashed during his first FP1 session at Monza after just 10 minutes last season. The nerves of stepping into an F1 car on a race weekend were clear, but it seems the team have stamped that out.
Journalist Albert Fabrega noted that Antonelli did not look like he was ‘panicking’ in Bahrain. Speaking on The After Lap Podcast, he said the Italian was the exact opposite.
“Solid, consistent, good, without mistakes,” he said. “I saw him calm in the press when he came to talk to us, the FIA press conference. He was also calm, I saw him, he is a guy who transmits tranquillity to me.
“I don’t see him nervous, I don’t see him in urgency, I don’t see him panicking. I see him calm, I see him relaxed on the track, it was good.”
Antonelli appeared comfortable in the car already. While there are certain caveats to take into account such as track conditions and different programmes, promising signs were there from Mercedes and the teenager.
Kimi Antonelli could become F1’s youngest winner in his first three races
Mercedes ranked second-best in GPS traces during testing in Bahrain, giving Antonelli and George Russell confidence that they can fight for victories regularly in 2025.
At 18 years and 203 days old when he debuts in Australia, Antonelli could become F1’s youngest winner in the first three races. He has Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka to surpass Max Verstappen’s record set at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
With a stronger car behind him than what Mercedes had last year, wins are possible for Antonelli this season. He has adapted well to the W16 already and seems focused on the task ahead.
Christian Horner and Zak Brown expect Antonelli to win in 2025 as they anticipate the most competitive season in F1 history. The sport’s latest superstar could throw a spanner into the mix this year and leave Mercedes fans feeling they have got the right man to replace Hamilton.
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