Kimi Antonelli, a driver from Bologna, has earned the label of “rising star” due to his remarkable recent achievements. Since Mercedes signed the Italian racer in 2019, he has been amassing trophies in junior single-seater competitions and is even dubbed the next ‘Lewis Hamilton.‘ However, the most recent developments about Antoneilli relate to Mercedes’s decision to give him a fast track to Formula 2. While the recently crowned FRECA champion would have been ideal for the F3 setup, the Silver Arrows have shown a strong desire to develop outstanding potential by skipping his F3 promotion.
The Italian team PREMA has recently revealed that the prodigy will race for them in the 2024 Formula 2 Series. This revelation was announced in response to Mercedes’ efforts to develop an exciting roster for the 2024 season. Remarkably, after claiming five championships in less than two years, the newest Prema racer has garnered a great deal of praise from well-known personalities in the racing community. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team boss, began it all by saying that Kimi had “ticked all the boxes” in his tenure with the side.
However, now, famed Moto GP racer Valentino Rossi has also expressed his thoughts on Antonelli’s ability and future. According to Formulascout.com, the 7 times champ believes that the Bologna racer is the future hope for Italy. The Moto GP sensation highlighted. “I’m very happy to know Kimi because on paper he can be the future Italian hope in F1.”
Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback, one would question why Mercedes sent Antonelli straight to Formula 2. And for that, the feeder series quoted the co-manager of the Mercedes junior team, Stephane Guerin. According to him, this move will provide Antonelli with the greatest chance to understand the workings of higher categories. In addition, he also underlined the team’s dedication to developing his skills and getting him ready for a future championship position in the Formula 1 circuit.
Examining Mercedes’ quick promotion of Lewis Hamilton’s heir Kimi Antonelli into the F2 category
Since his early years, Antonelli has been the subject of high expectations, however, what’s interesting is that he has lived up to them. As a result of his remarkable achievements over the last two years, the 17-year-old is now part of a special group of drivers who were promoted straight from junior ranks to F2. However, as Josh Mason and Gianluca Petecof’s careers indicate, this jump has often failed to produce a fantastic result. Thus, it appears that this has cast doubt on Antonelli’s performance, though Mercedes claims to have carefully considered all relevant factors before taking this action.
The Feeder Series took note of some of Stephane Guerin’s responses during their conversation, confirming their confidence in their decision. The co-manager claimed Mercedes took the action to place Antonelli in a series where he could grow and learn. Compared to Formula 3, the talented driver can gain more knowledge about pit stops, tire management, and races in Formula 2. Aside from this, since F2 will bring cars with enhanced downforce influenced by F1 regulations in 2022, his stint in the junior category will be Antonelli’s greatest chance to get some F1 experience.
In his interview at the Zandvoort at the FRECA, Guerin provided an overview of the team’s reasoning for making this decision. He said, ” There had been several objectives, and several targets for Kimi at the start of the year, and he has reached or exceeded them. We have been thinking of this for some time because at the end of the day, our objective is to develop Kimi and to help him in fulfilling his potential.”
Hence, in the upcoming year, it will be intriguing to see if Mercedes’ career trajectory strategy gives Antonelli the opportunity he needs to succeed and emerge as a future Formula 1 star or not.
