Kimi Antonelli, one of motorsports’ brightest prospects, is heavily tipped to become an F1 driver in 2025. Being a Mercedes junior, he is most heavily linked to the Silver Arrows who need a driver to replace Lewis Hamilton. The team’s Technical Chief James Allison, however, feels that the task of filling in the shoes of the seven-time World Champion will be daunting for Antonelli.
When called upon, Allison feels that Antonelli’s racecraft will be more than enough to succeed. “It’s a huge ask, but I think if the talent is there it won’t matter,” Allison said as quoted by Formula Passion.
Antonelli is just 17 and is in his first year in F2. He hasn’t been particularly strong in the feeder series either, with his first win coming only recently in the Silverstone Sprint. But Mercedes knows how good he is, and has given him ample time behind the wheel of an F1 car in their private tests.
Naturally, Allison’s assessments of Antonelli’s talent seem credible under this background. The Briton drew comparisons with Hamilton’s start in the sport. Paired with reigning world champion, Fernando Alonso in 2007, Hamilton silenced the critics by beating the Spaniard in his rookie season. “When Lewis first got into an F1 car, I think a lot of people had the same concerns,” Allison added.
Antonelli getting a jump so early in his career could turn out to be risky. But Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is ready to gamble on the Italian’s talent.
Wolff ready to place his bets on Antonelli in a Mercedes
Early on in the season, there was a lot of chatter about Antonelli to Mercedes being a done deal. However, his underwhelming performances in F2 raised some concerns.
The British F2 Sprint two weeks ago seems to have changed Wolff’s mind. He remarked that even a true champion needed to know how to swim. In an almost poetic way, Antonelli proved his mettle to his boss as he cruised to a stunning maiden win at a rain-soaked Silverstone circuit.
17-year-old Kimi Antonelli overcame rain, red flags, and restarts to take a stunning victory in the Silverstone Sprint ☔️#F2 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/ZLPPuMkZpD
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 12, 2024
In the aftermath of his win, Wolff seems to have come around about his hesitation to promote Antonelli. He congratulated the 17-year-old whilst also cryptically hinting at a possible decision about the second Mercedes seat in 2025.
