Andrea Kimi Antonelli has completed all of the testing available to him before making his Formula 1 debut next weekend.
Mercedes have made a bold decision to promote Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Lewis Hamilton’s seat for the 2025 F1 season.
The 18-year-old will become one of the youngest drivers in the history of the sport at the Australian Grand Prix but has had a stellar junior career to back up team principal Toto Wolff’s decision.
Although his Formula 2 season wasn’t perfect last year, he still outscored Prema teammate and new Haas driver Oliver Bearman.
Few drivers have reached F1 with as much hype and expectation surrounding them as Antonelli.
Hamilton’s McLaren debut, Max Verstappen’s call-up at Toro Rosso and even Charles Leclerc’s move to Sauber are all comparable to Antonelli’s maiden season.
However, out of that group, only Hamilton had the chance to win races in the car he was driving and while Wolff isn’t expecting Antonelli to challenge for victory in Australia, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he featured on the podium this year.
Antonelli is already being compared to Aryton Senna ahead of his debut something that puts even more pressure on the 18-year-old’s shoulders.
While Antonelli has admitted studying videos of Senna as a child, in an interview with BBC Sport, he’s explained what he doesn’t like about those comparisons.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli doesn’t ‘really like’ Ayrton Senna comparisons
In the interview, Antonelli admitted it was a ‘privilege’ to be racing against the likes of Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who are both more than double his age.
Antonelli was asked about the fact that there are similarities between his looks and Senna’s and said: “Yeah, [people] told me that.
“I don’t really like being compared because I think you know every person has his own personality but he is my idol, he is my reference, so it would be cool just to achieve even [a] little part of what he achieved in his whole career.”
READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash
Senna started his Formula 1 career in 1984 with Toleman and while they were a midfield outfit, he still managed to secure three podiums and a fastest lap before joining Lotus.
Antonelli would be happy with that record at the end of the season given how competitive Mercedes are expected to be.
However, it’s understandable that he’s trying to take the pressure off by distancing himself from the Senna comparisons.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli explains his mindset going into his debut F1 season
Asked what he wants to achieve in his maiden campaign, Antonelli explained: “I want to have a clean run, nice rhythm, consistent.
“But the mindset is going to be the same, going on track and try to win, try to be as fast as possible, try to get as best result as possible.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
“I just feel like a Mercedes F1 driver. But it’s such a great opportunity.
“I am really grateful for the trust and opportunity Mercedes gave me. But at the same time, it is a big responsibility as well, because I am racing for Mercedes, top team, and so they’ve got some expectations as well, of course.
“I am just going to try to make the best out of this.”
Antonelli looked confident during pre-season testing and his long runs were comparable to Leclerc.
However, while he clearly has the raw speed, it’s going to be vital that Antonelli avoids making too many unforced errors.
Leave feedback about this