Kimi Antonelli may have the most amount of expectations on his shoulders out of the six new full-time drivers on the F1 grid in 2025.
The Italian sensation has replaced seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season. Antonelli will be the youngest driver on the grid having turned 18 in August.
Mercedes’ new recruit joins the pinnacle of motorsport with incredible hype around him. His junior career has consisted of numerous titles and he skipped F3 to race in F2 in 2024, finishing sixth with two wins.
The Italian’s arrival at the Silver Arrows has raised some eyebrows. with Karun Chandhok saying some people in the paddock were not sure about Mercedes signing Antonelli. But the Brackley-based outfit have trusted the 18-year-old with their second seat alongside George Russell.
Antonelli has already completed 9,000km in testing for Mercedes as he looks to get as much mileage as possible in F1 machinery before his first full-time assault at the championship.
Antoneli wants to achieve ‘a little piece’ of his idol Ayrton Senna’s success but to assume he can do that in his rookie season may be a step too far – and it seems Mercedes know that too.
Mercedes are ‘braced’ for Kimi Antonelli to have an ‘up and down’ rookie season in 2025
While his testing preparations have been impressive, Antonelli’s outings on F1 weekends so far have left something to be desired.
Just 10 minutes into his FP1 debut at his home race at Monza, the 18-year-old spun at the Parabolica and crashed into the barriers. While mistakes will be expected from the rookie, it suggests that the pressure of F1 may already be getting to him.
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Speaking on the ESPN UK YouTube channel, journalist Nate Saunders says Mercedes are ‘braced’ for an ‘up and down’ season with Antonelli. The teenager has ‘a lot of ask of him’ in his rookie season, but Toto Wolff will be patient with his new talent.
“In terms of living up to the hype, I feel for him already because I feel like, what is an acceptable level for Kimi Antonelli? Like you said, replacing Lewis Hamilton is just such a huge task to go into”, said Saunders.
“And we got a glimpse of it maybe last year in Monza, didn’t we? He stepped in to replace Lewis at Monza in FP1 as a lot of young drivers do, had a very quick start and then spun out at the Parabolica and crashed out and obviously, that became the big story.
“I mean Toto Wolff said it. He said ‘I’d rather slow down a quick driver than try and make a slow driver speed up’. And you get the feeling Mercedes are just braced for a very up and down season with this guy.
“I think he’s very, very exciting. It’s a lot to ask of him early on. And I think he’s actually in a really good spot for that.
“Toto Wolff, he’s a pragmatic guy, he’s not going to throw Kimi Antonelli under the bus if he has a few bad crashes early on, which might be different in other teams”.
How Kimi Antonelli could ‘hurt’ Mercedes in his rookie season in 2025
It is clear that Antonelli will be under huge pressure from the off in F1. After all, he is replacing the sport’s most successful driver as an 18-year-old.
Antonelli admits he is not thinking about Hamilton in 2025 as he says he is Mercedes’ new driver, not the Brit’s replacement. The Italian will be keen to show his skills, but he will have to be careful.
Alex Jacques says Antonelli could ‘hurt’ Mercedes if he keeps crashing in his rookie season. The Brackley-based outfit will be looking to fix that issue ahead of their battle with McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull this year.
The Italian will have a great support network around him at Mercedes with Wolff – who rates him highly – and teammate Russell. Reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will ‘coach’ Antonelli in 2025 with his valuable experience behind the scenes.
If the team can get the 18-year-old in the groove, he could produce something special in 2025. David Croft is backing Antonelli to finish on the podium in Australia and replicate the feat achieved by Hamilton in 2007 with McLaren.
