Andrea Kimi Antonelli has a lot of pressure on his shoulders ahead of next season as he makes the step up to Formula 1.
Mercedes supports the Italian driver and has been fast-tracked through the junior ranks after he won the FRECA championship, skipping FIA F3 to race in Formula 2.
Antonelli will partner George Russell at Mercedes next season, and he will be replacing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The British driver is moving to Ferrari which vacated a spot for Antonelli who will become the youngest driver on the grid.
He will be under immediate pressure to hit the ground running in a car that may have the potential to win races and score podiums consistently.
Formula 1 is a significant step up from any junior category in terms of performance and the added media attention surrounding the series.
Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya revealed the key advice he gave the Italian ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend.
Juan Pablo Montoya told Andrea Kimi Antonelli to ‘focus on the basics’
Antonelli has struggled slightly in Formula 2 this season as his PREMA team have struggled to adapt to the new car for the 2024 season.
The Italian driver made his debut on a race weekend in first practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Antonelli was immediately pushing the car to the limit but was too eager and crashed at Curva Alboreto after braking too late.
He was much calmer in another outing at the Mexico City Grand Prix where he gathered critical experience on a brand new circuit.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has attempted to calm expectations around Antonelli before his Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton sends clear message to Kimi Antonelli ahead of his debut Mercedes season
Russell will be a very difficult teammate to beat as he has much more experience although leading a team will be a new challenge for the British driver.
Montoya is wary of Antonelli over thinking during the early stages of his career in Formula 1 where the standards are incredibly high.
He told AS Colombia: “The engineer often assumes the driver does it and fills his head with so much information. So I told him ‘focus on the basics, focus on what you have to do to drive.
‘Erase everything they tell you; it will become natural, but right at the beginning, take that out. You don’t need to break world records; don’t look for a car that is two-tenths faster but where I make a mistake and kill myself.’
“I have a car, maybe I’m missing a tenth, but it’s a car I can complete the laps and sometimes completing the lap is more important than how fast the car is.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli can’t afford many rookie mistakes in 2025
Antonelli has been given an excellent opportunity with Mercedes, but he has been parachuted into a frontrunning car that may have the potential to win races.
It may be a slightly slow process for the 18-year-old who will have to adjust to new tracks early on such as Albert Park and the Shanghai International Circuit.
Russell may be slightly quicker in the opening rounds but Antonelli can’t afford to crash the car and force the team to divert resources away from development.
His junior career has shown that Antonelli can win races as well as championships, but Formula 1 will be more difficult with 24 races and a relentless schedule.
