Andrea Kimi Antonelli has huge shoes to fill when he steps into Formula 1 in 2025.
The Italian sensation will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season as he makes the jump from Formula 2. Antonelli finished sixth in the standings in 2024 with two wins.
Antonelli is one of six new full-time drivers in 2024 and he certainly has the most hype surrounding him given his incredible rise through the ranks in his junior career.
A lot will be expected of the 18-year-old given his previous success and the fact he will be driving for a team that should be fighting for race wins. Toto Wolff says Antonelli’s signing makes up for missing out on Max Verstappen after Mercedes had targeted the Dutchman earlier last year.
The Silver Arrows have been preparing the Italian for F1 behind the scenes in private tests, and Wolff revealed the sheer amount of distance he has covered ahead of the 2025 season.
Toto Wolff reveals Kimi Antonelli has completed 9,000km in Mercedes tests
Antonelli made two appearances in FP1 sessions last season in Monza and Mexico City. He also participated in the Abu Dhabi post-season test with Mercedes, but he missed a further Super Formula test and the final round of F2 due to illness.
Peter Windsor believes Antonelli will be on the back foot after missing these tests, which will apply more pressure on the Italian to deliver results. However, Wolff does not expect that from him ‘right at the beginning’ as he expects 2025 to be a learning year.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
“He will only be a child prodigy when he really delivers the performance in Formula 1. We hope that this will happen sooner rather than later, but certainly not right at the beginning,” said Wolff in the print edition of Auto Motor und Sport, via sport.de.
Wolff also warned against “believing that the good test results will simply translate into the race,” as he revealed that Antonelli has driven 9,000km in tests. With a standard F1 race distance being 305km, it means the Italian has completed 29.5 race distances with Mercedes.
“If we approach it in such a way that the boy is 18 years old, very talented, but of course has to grow into it first and will make mistakes along the way, then the risk is limited,” Wolff continued. “We see 2025 as a transition year and want to prepare him for 2026, where everything starts from scratch for everyone.”
Can Kimi Antonelli perform at Mercedes in 2025?
There is no doubt that Antonelli has the potential to be one of the stars of the future in F1, but he risks destroying all the hype around him if he fails to deliver in 2025.
The Italian crashed in the first 10 minutes of his F1 debut at Monza coming out of Parabolica, suggesting the pressure is already getting to the 18-year-old ahead of his first full season in the sport.
But he does have a great support network around him at Mercedes to guide him through 2025. Hamilton shared a message of support to Antonelli as he advised him on how to deal with negativity and criticism.
Teammate George Russell will be a great role model for the Italian and reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will provide experience and further guidance – but he will also be a good option to replace Antonelli if he struggles to perform.
