Andrea Kimi Antonelli is just two months away from attempting a task in Formula 1 that only one driver in the history of the sport has had to face before.
In 2013, Sergio Perez was the driver drafted in to replace Lewis Hamilton when he left McLaren for Mercedes.
Twelve years later, Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces the same prospect after Hamilton’s long-awaited switch from the Silver Arrows to Ferrari.
Antonelli won’t want to look back on Perez’s single campaign at McLaren for inspiration on how to fill the seven-time world champion’s shoes.
The Mexican finished 11th in the Drivers’ Championship that year, 24 points behind teammate Jenson Button.
Button and Hamilton weren’t best friends at McLaren and it’s yet to be seen how Antonelli will be welcomed into the fold by George Russell this year.
Russell finally has the chance to step out of Hamilton’s shadow this year and putting Antonelli in his place will be the easiest way for him to show he deserves to be among the top drivers on the grid.
However, despite not making his F1 debut yet and only spending a year in Formula 2, Antonelli has already amassed a large number of fans.
After his latest post on social media, comparisons are already being made between the 18-year-old and Ayrton Senna ahead of his first race for Mercedes in Australia in March.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli compared to Ayrton Senna with a new nickname by F1 fans
Updating his fans on Instagram ahead of the 2025 season starting, Antonelli said: “Season prep with @adidasmotorsport,” posting a montage of photos of himself in the gym getting ready for the upcoming season, in particular, working on some neck exercises.
This led to a barrage of comments from fans comparing Antonelli to Senna, with one stating: ‘You really look like Senna’
Another commented, ‘You remind me of Ayrton, I can’t wait to see you on the track Tricolore champion’, while this was followed up by, ‘I’m shocked…he reminds me of Ayrton!’
READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash
Some of his fans then started using his new nickname, ‘Senninha’, suggesting that he’s a driver in the same mould as the three-time world champion.
One fan said, ‘Way to go Senninha, Work out hard!’ another added, ‘Let’s go Senninha!’ while a third simply said, ‘Vamos Senninha!’
Mercedes need to manage Kimi Antonelli carefully with pressure already mounting
Antonelli’s rise through the junior formulas to reach F1 at the age of 18 is remarkable.
There’s a reason why Mercedes have backed him so heavily up to this point and Formula 2 was the first championship he didn’t win on his rise to stardom.
Hamilton’s premature exit from his contract has been the Italian promoted potentially a year earlier than many would have expected.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Antonelli has done an impressive amount of testing but nothing compares to racing wheel-to-wheel in Formula 1 for the first time.
Team principal Toto Wolff is lowering initial expectations on Antonelli but he could potentially have a race-winning car and that’s a rare thing to possess during a debut season.
He’s not only got to live up to what Mercedes fans got used to with Hamilton at the wheel but the return of an Italian driver to the grid and a hoard of Brazilian fans beginning to make comparisons between himself and the great Senna.
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