Kimi Antonelli will become the third youngest driver in F1 history when he makes his debut for Mercedes in 2025.
The Italian has had a sensational junior career that has brought about multiple titles in quick succession. Antonelli finished sixth in his rookie season in F2 last year after he skipped past F3.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff sees the potential in the young talent – so much so that he has drafted in Antonelli to replace seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton after he confirmed his move to Ferrari.
The 18-year-old has been conducting numerous tests in old Mercedes machinery to prepare him for 2025. with Antonelli already driving 9,000km in testing.
While the Italian has been driving F1 cars for the past year, the 18-year-old only recently passed his road driving test. Having a valid driving license is one of the many key requirements to obtain an FIA superlicense.
Lando Norris joked to Antonelli on social media about hoping he does not drive faster at 250kph in F1 with Mercedes. The McLaren driver is looking to dethrone Max Verstappen in 2025.
Kimi Antonelli wants to achieve ‘a little piece’ of what Ayrton Senna did in F1
Antonelli’s talent is clear to see and a lot is expected of Mercedes’ new recruit. He will be 18 years and 203 days old when he makes his debut at the Australian Grand Prix – only Lance Stroll and Verstappen began their careers at a younger age.
Antonelli could become F1’s youngest winner in his first three races as he will be 25 days younger than Verstappen was when the Dutchman won his first race at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
Speaking at the Autosport awards – via the publication’s TikTok account, the Italian was asked about his idol in F1, to which Antonelli named three-time champion Ayrton Senna.
Although he never got to see him drive in person, watching the Brazilian via DVD was enough for him to realise how ‘incredible’ Senna truly was. Antonelli is hoping to achieve ‘a little piece’ of the F1 legend’s success.
“Ayrton Senna, definitely. I mean I’ve never seen him driving unfortunately, but just by seeing him by video, by DVDs, it was incredible.
“I mean not only the driver but also as a person. He was a really incredible person, so he’s been my inspiration since I was very little and he still is.
“I’m really inspired by him and hopefully I can achieve even a little piece of what he achieved in his career”.
Mercedes could demote Kimi Antonelli if he does not deliver in 2025
Antonelli will face significant pressure in his debut season in F1 – heightened by the fact he will be driving for Mercedes and is replacing Hamilton, F1’s most successful driver.
The Italian has made a couple of appearances in FP1 as well as private tests for the Silver Arrows, but the pressure seemed to get to the 18-year-old during these weekends. Antonelli crashed 10 minutes into his first outing at Monza in the W15.
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Mercedes have created a great support network around Antonelli to aid him in his rookie season. Teammate George Russell will be great to learn from as team leader.
Reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will also be vital for the Italian as the Finn’s experience will be highly beneficial for his quest to compete at the front.
However, the Brackley-based outfit will expect performance. Mercedes could demote Antonelli if he does not hit the targets the team expect from him, which could be helpful as he must gain experience if he wants to fight for titles as Senna did.
