Formula 2 is currently undergoing a two-month-long break before action resumes in Italy next month. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, however, is in no mood to let the adrenaline settle down. The Italian driver is currently taking laps of the Red Bull Ring in Austria. However, he is not using his regular F2 ride, though. Antonelli is putting in some miles into the Mercedes F1 team’s W12, the car Lewis Hamilton almost won his eighth world championship with.
The W12 was the last of Mercedes’ cars before the ground effect regulations came into effect in 2022. It was also the last car Mercedes won a championship with. Unfortunately, Lewis Hamilton could not bag one for himself as the title race went down to the wire at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The W12 is now playing a crucial role in preparing Kimi Antonelli for a possible promotion to the F1 team. Antonelli currently holds enough super license points to race in F1.
However, being a 17-year-old, he is one year shy of being eligible for a regular seat in the apex championship. That will happen just in time when Mercedes will need a driver to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli’s name came up right from the start when Hamilton announced his impending move to Ferrari.
While team principal Toto Wolff has urged the media not to put undue pressure on the young driver, he hasn’t denied the claims on his candidature for the seat. There are, however, several other drivers Antonelli is pipped against. Those include proven talents with F1 experience under their belts.
Drivers Kimi Antonelli is fighting against for the Mercedes seat
Fernando Alonso was one of the names experts believed was in contention to take over Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat in 2025. The Spaniard, however, recently signed an extension with Aston Martin that will keep him there until the end of 2026.
Toto Wolff is not short of options, though. In an earlier interview, the Austrian manager admitted Mick Schumacher and Frederik Vesti were among the candidates for the seat. By virtue of being a part of the Mercedes Academy, Esteban Ocon’s in the race to replace Hamilton as well.
The Frenchman, despite being committed to Alpine, also has not ruled himself out of the contention. Carlos Sainz, however, trumps them all, but it remains to be seen if the Spaniard is interested in joining the Silver Arrows.
Pitted against stalwarts with proven winning pedigree, Kimi Antonelli would have to do something extraordinary to shift Wolff’s gaze to himself. Currently competing as a rookie in F2, Antonelli needs to register some impressive results. More importantly, he needs to prove that he is capable of churning out strong results consistently.
