Mercedes are preparing for the post-Lewis Hamilton era this winter, and every day leading up to the first race of the 2025 season will be vital to youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Although George Russell will be the team’s leading driver heading into next season, F1 fans will be fascinated to see how Kimi Antonelli fares when he makes his debut in March.
The Australian Grand Prix will host the first race of the 2025 campaign and Antonelli will be among the 10 drivers preparing for life at a new team that weekend.
Although Hamilton is likely to be the focus of many people’s attention, Antonelli may end up coming a close second when it comes to media interest.
He and Liam Lawson are the two youngsters who have found themselves in potentially race-winning cars in 2025, and although the Kiwi already has 11 Grand Prix under his belt, he’s got to deal with the pressure of racing alongside Max Verstappen.
Russell will by no means be an easy opponent for Antonelli as he will feel he’s got plenty to prove this year, the hype around the young Italian goes well beyond what’s been said about Lawson in the past.
Nico Rosberg was speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Antonelli’s Formula 1 debut and explained why he’s so excited about the 18-year-old’s introduction.
Rosberg previously explained why he thinks Mercedes chose Antonelli over Carlos Sainz and will hope that his former prodigy can prove team principal Toto Wolff right after making that high-risk call.
Nico Rosberg says F1 fans ‘can’t ignore’ Kimi Antonelli’s potential at Mercedes
Rosberg was asked if he thinks Antonelli will be ready for Formula 1 this season after progressing through the junior ranks with Mercedes so quickly.
The 2016 world champion said: “I know Kimi very well, he was racing in my Karting Academy in 2019 and I saw already at that age what kind of impressive talent he was.
READ MORE: Nico Rosberg explains what role he played in Kimi Antonelli signing for Mercedes
“It’s a bold move by Toto, but you can’t ignore the potential this guy has.
“He will certainly make mistakes in 2025, but I know Mercedes will support him well.
“He has a bright future ahead of him and I’m excited to see how he adapts to F1.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be 2025’s most prepared F1 rookie
Although Lawson is technically still a rookie having not completed a full F1 season, he’s got a distinct advantage over the other youngsters on the gird.
Oliver Bearman has joined Haas but his three race starts in 2024 meant he wasn’t eligible to take part in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi as a rookie and therefore prevented him from getting some much-needed running time.
Jack Doohan’s single race in last season’s finale gives him the upper hand over Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, but the Italian’s preparations behind the scenes have been vast.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Hamilton offered some advice to Antonelli during his last year at Mercedes, but it’s the testing program that the 18-year-old has taken part in that will give him the best chance possible of hitting the ground running in Melbourne.
Toto Wolff has explained just how much testing Antonelli has done in preparation for 2025 and it dwarfs anything the likes of Bortoleto or Hadjar have been able to do.
Although his two FP1 outings last year didn’t set the world alight – crashing at Monza and being very conservative in Mexico City – he’ll be keen to prove his ready for Formula 1 once the lights go out at Albert Park.
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