“I’m Not Replacing Michael Schumacher”: Kimi Antonelli Took a Page Out of Lewis Hamilton’s Notebook While Replacing Him at Mercedes

Kimi Antonelli’s stellar junior career was already enough to generate excitement around his F1 debut in 2025. However, the fact that he’s replacing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton only amplified that hype.

Team Principal Toto Wolff had always been a huge fan of Antonelli and made the Italian his priority when Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari. Wolff also believed Antonelli had what it takes to succeed in F1. However, neither he nor Antonelli openly endorsed the idea of immediately living up to Hamilton’s stature. Both knew that, at this stage, it wouldn’t be possible.

Interestingly, when Hamilton first joined Mercedes in 2013, he went through something similar. He was replacing Michael Schumacher—who had joined the Silver Arrows in 2010 to help them find their feet in F1.

The German legend’s Mercedes stint may not have been as glittering as his time at Ferrari or Benetton, but his retirement was still a watershed moment. So, when the highly talented Hamilton joined the Brackley-based outfit, much like Antonelli is doing today, he refused to consider himself a replacement for Schumacher.

Journalist Christian Hewgill drew parallels between the two drivers. “Lewis was very keen to say when he stepped in [at Mercedes in 2013], ‘I’m not replacing Michael Schumacher’,” Hewgill said on the Fast and Curious podcast.

He recalled how the British driver focused on his new chapter with Mercedes, rather than worrying about whether he could contribute to the team’s development the way Schumacher did. Antonelli seems to have taken inspiration from this approach, focusing on his own performance rather than trying to live up to Hamilton’s reputation.

The Briton went on to script unparalleled success at Mercedes, winning six titles and statistically becoming the greatest in the sport’s history, even surpassing Schumacher’s legacy. Antonelli would be hoping to do the same now.

However, one thing Hamilton had in his favor was Schumacher’s relative lack of success during his three-year stint. Antonelli doesn’t have that luxury.

How is Antonelli stacking up so far?

As Hamilton was still winning races until last year in Mercedes colors, Antonelli’s performance will inevitably be compared, even though it doesn’t make sense to place them on the same pedestal.

However, he seems to be pulling his weight quite well so far in the two race weekends of his career. Despite starting from P16 in his first-ever outing in Australia, Antonelli produced a splendid drive to finish fourth in his debut race, and that too under treacherously wet conditions.

At the next weekend in Shanghai, Antonelli was once again impressive. He scored points in both the sprint race and the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing P7 and P6, respectively. Had it not been for some floor damage, the 18-year-old could’ve finished higher, as revealed by Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin.

He did have some scary moments in the tricky weather in Australia, but at his age, those mistakes will be ironed out as he develops his abilities with Mercedes over the next two to three years. So far, Antonelli seems to be the best rookie out of the 2025 crop.