Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a matter of months away from making one of Formula 1’s most highly anticipated debuts of recent times.
The new Mercedes driver will begin his career at the highest level at the Australian Grand Prix in March alongside the experienced George Russell.
Antonelli will step into a car that is expected to compete for podiums and victories on the odd occasion but not a championship up against the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari.
Noise at Mercedes suggests they could dominate from 2026 when the new technical regulations arrive, much like they did in 2014 when they nailed the new set of rules.
It set them up for long-term success, but first Antonelli has an important Mercedes goal for 2025. Simply put, he says he must have ‘fun’ before things begin to get serious the following year.
Team boss Toto Wolff will expect results from the rookie, but there will be mistakes along the way as he learns. The sort of blunders that outgoing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t make.
Kimi Antonelli could emulate Kamui Kobayashi and do ‘much better’ than expected
Formula 1 had no rookies last season as the grid didn’t change for the first time in the sport’s history, but eight teams will enter 2025 with a new partnership.
Only McLaren and Aston Martin’s line-ups remain the same which should level the playing field for drivers trying to find their way at new teams.
Antonelli is the best-prepared rookie in 2025 according to ex-F1 star David Coulthard, with the Italian having conducted multiple tests in older machinery.
READ MORE: Helmut Marko warns Kimi Antonelli his F1 career will be ‘in danger’ if he does one thing at Mercedes
Alex Brundle told The F2 Show that the 18-year-old could end up producing a similar surprise with his pace and emulate how Kamui Kobayashi caught everyone by surprise in 2009 with Toyota.
“We’ve seen first hand, drivers move through – Kobayashi would be one that I would pick out,” he said. “Drivers move through into a Formula 1 car and then do much better than anybody ever expected them to.
“It could be the case that with all the support behind Kimi Antonelli, he jumps straight in and does the job next year, same for Oliver Bearman. They clearly have pace, they clearly have talent.”
Can Kimi Antonelli win in his debut F1 season?
The last driver to win in their debut season was Hamilton, who agonisingly missed out on the Drivers’ Championship by just one point that year.
The same isn’t expected of Antonelli but with a good winter of work, the Silver Arrows could be a surprise title contender again if they can nail their approach and development.
Much like they were able to at various stages this season, Mercedes should be able to deliver a car that is capable of competing for victories.
READ MORE: Mercedes won’t ‘bring the best’ out of Kimi Antonelli if they keep telling him one thing about George Russell
Their main problem was finding consistency across all circuits. The W15 had a narrow setup window which was tricky to find at stages.
Heading into the final year of the technical regulations hands the German manufacturer a bit of a free pass and could mean that they go aggressive with their philosophy for the 2025 season.
While bold moves can pay off with performance gains, they could equally set them back and they will want to avoid languishing in the midfield at any stage again.
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