James Allison Feels “It’s a Huge Ask” For Kimi Antonelli to Replace Lewis Hamilton

James Allison Feels "It's a Huge Ask" For Kimi Antonelli to Replace Lewis Hamilton

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.

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.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
James Allison Kimi Antonelli Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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