Over the years, the FIA has tightened up the regulations regarding applying for a super license for F1 drivers. One such requirement to be eligible for a super license is that the driver must have a valid driver’s license.
That is exactly why 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli had to recently take his driver’s test. Passing this test was crucial for the Italian to make his debut for Mercedes in 2025, and with the hype already around his rookie season, Antonelli conceded that a simple driving test did make him nervous.
“I was so nervous, first of all,” he told Lissie Mackintosh at the Autosport Awards.
“I knew I only had that shot to make it. So, I was like really trying to study as much as possible. I was very tensed,” he added. In fact, if the #12 driver had failed his test, he wouldn’t have gotten another chance until the summer break in August!
Kimi agora no Autosport Awards.
[via @autosport no IG.] pic.twitter.com/PCANQ1NRh0
— Info Kimi Antonelli (@InfoAKA12) January 29, 2025
At the end of the day, however, despite making a small error on the theory side of things, the 18-year-old successfully passed the test and has checked off an important box in terms of his super license.
On the other hand, the Silver Arrows have also been doing their best to prepare Antonelli for a full season of F1. One part of this plan is to ensure that as he rolls out for pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Italian racing prodigy is one of the most experienced rookie drivers in the history of the sport.
Mercedes have gone all in for Antonelli’s F1 debut
The Brackley-based team have allocated a lot of resources in ensuring that Antonelli gets as much time behind the wheel of F1 machinery as possible. This included a series of tests that have seen the #12 driver take to older-spec Mercedes F1 cars across many circuits.
The most recent test was at Jerez in the 2020-spec W11. The team decided to go way back into their catalog owing to the stricter Testing of Previous Car (TPC) regulations introduced this season.
And with all this attention given to Antonelli, many expect his rookie season to go well. In fact, Antonelli has the chance to become F1’s youngest-ever race-winner (toppling Max Verstappen from that accolade) if he can win any of the first three races of the 2025 season.
Having said that, the Brackley team is aware that Antonelli will make mistakes as he acclimatizes himself. In any case, if the 18-year-old isn’t able to rank high enough to impress the top brass at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas will be more than willing to step in, as he re-joined the team earlier this year as their reserve driver.
