Andrea Kimi Antonelli is stepping up to Formula 1 despite to partner George Russell at Mercedes and replacing Lewis Hamilton.
The Italian driver will become the youngest driver on the grid and will have a very difficult time staying on terms with Russell over his rookie season at Mercedes.
Antonelli will have to adjust to many new circuits, such as Suzuka. He was planning to drive in the Super Formula test at the track but didn’t attend because he was ill.
He is very young, and Mercedes will not want to give Antonelli too much information, particularly about his teammate Russell’s driving style.
The 18-year-old has been racing in Formula 2 this season for PREMA. The Italian team had a difficult year, struggling with the new car.
Mercedes said Antonelli was ill over the weekend in Abu Dhabi, but IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi has some reservations.
Alexander Rossi feels Andrea Kimi Antonelli wanted to protect his ‘stock value’
Antonelli was planning to compete in the final round of the Formula 2 championship in Abu Dhabi to cap off a difficult season.
Since signing for Mercedes in F1, there has been less pressure on his racing commitments, and the PREMA driver was never in contention for the championship.
Despite not racing in Formula 2, Antonelli drove in the post-season test for Mercedes a couple of days later at the Yas Marina Circuit.
READ MORE: What ’emotional’ Lewis Hamilton said in handwritten note to Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli
Rossi wasn’t convinced that Antonelli was suffering from illness over the race weekend, and the Italian may have wanted to avoid taking any risks.
He said on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast: “So Kimi was in the Mercedes. He skipped out on the last round of the Championship in Abu Dhabi.
“And it’s because he was sick. He was sick. He was ill, which is fine. I mean, I’d have to be very ill to not race. But he did the young driver test. I’m wondering if he was like, ‘I already have made it.
“I’m already going to be in a Mercedes F1 car next year. I don’t want to do anything else that could potentially damage my stock value.’
Antonelli performed well in the test and matched Hamilton’s times from the race weekend, although it’s difficult to gauge an accurate representation of this with varying track conditions.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s junior career may have been too successful to deal with F1’s pressure
Antonelli had a very smooth junior career, winning consecutive championships in Italian F4 and FRECA after racing in go-karts.
This is very impressive, although he was with PREMA in both those championships, and the Italian team tends to dominate sometimes.
Formula 2 has been more challenging after he took the unorthodox route into the series, skipping FIA F3 and moving straight from FRECA.
Antonelli is being thrown straight into the deep end at Mercedes without a stint in a team further down the field. The added pressure of Formula 1 could cause issues if the Mercedes driver doesn’t adapt.
Other rookies have had more arduous junior careers, such as Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who had more difficult times in Italian F4 and FRECA. The Brazilian may have more tools to deal with the pressure, and he can learn alongside teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
