The biggest event that’s set to take place ahead of the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season will almost certainly be held in Italy.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut is inching ever closer and he’s expected to take part in a show run of one of their old cars at Fiorano as early as next week.
However, the next most anticipated event taking place this winter involves Hamilton’s old team, Mercedes.
Hamilton’s departure opened the way for teenager, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, to complete his rapid ascent through the ranks of motorsport.
After just one season in Formula 2, the young Italian will be gracing F1 with just two FP1 sessions and a shortened post-season test under his belt.
Antonelli has undergone extensive testing with Mercedes over the past 12 months to try and get him up to speed for 2025.
However, his first public outing in an F1 car at Monza lasted less than two laps, while Antonelli’s hour of running in Mexico City was described as ‘odd’.
It means that he needs to hit the ground running in 2025 and highlight why team principal Toto Wolff was so keen to promote him this year.
Mercedes will ‘probably’ run Kimi Antonelli in TPC event at Imola before the 2025 F1 season
A report from as-web has shared more details about the next few weeks in Formula 1 before pre-season testing officially begins.
Hamilton may take part in three Ferrari tests before he arrives in Bahrain to give him the best possible chance of learning his new team’s processes and procedures.
He wasn’t allowed to take part in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, putting him under increasing pressure to adapt to his new surroundings.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
For Antonelli, he’ll be more than aware of how everything works at Mercedes given how much private running he’s done over the past 12 months.
The difference for the 18-year-old is converting that into race experience and learning just how hard he can push the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris on the track.
The report suggests that Mercedes will ‘probably’ set up a two-day testing event for Antonelli at Imola before heading to Sakhir at the end of next month.
The young Italian won’t be allowed to drive the 2025 car yet and instead will take part in his first outing in 2023 W14, a vehicle that wasn’t available to him last year due to the testing of previous cars rule.
Mercedes in peculiar stick or twist position for 2025 with Antonelli and Russell
This season is going to be fascinating and if it plays out anything like last year’s championship, four teams will regularly believe they have a chance of winning races.
Mercedes may be starting at the lowest point out of those teams – behind McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull – but George Russell won’t want to write off this campaign if he can help it.
The British driver arguably had his strongest campaign to date, winning twice – and losing a victory to Hamilton at Spa for an underweight car – and beating the seven-time world champion in the Drivers’ Championship.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
If he wants to mount a challenge to Verstappen and his other rivals this year, he needs Mercedes to concentrate fully on their 2025 car.
However, with Antonelli beside him and high hopes for Mercedes’ 2026 power unit, it may be sensible for this year to be used to help the Italian get to grips with F1 before putting all of their resources into next year’s car.
Both Mercedes drivers are out of contract next winter, which may be why Russell will be more desperate to concentrate on this season, but that may not make sense if Antonelli isn’t at the required level to support him during races.
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