Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a name one may have heard of following his success in the junior feeder series below F1. Many are hyping Antonelli as the next big thing. Under the Mercedes academy program, the Italian driver is making big strides. Toto Wolff has acknowledged him as the next big star for the Silver Arrows, even potentially replacing a retiring Lewis Hamilton.
Kimi Antonelli is so far having an unconventional path. At the tender age of just 17, he will enter Formula 2 in 2024 after winning the Formula Regional European championship this year. This means Antonelli will skip F3 altogether, just like Max Verstappen skipped F2, and transitioned from F3 to F1 directly.
This will help the 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli come one step closer to the top tier of Formula racing. After having a look at his progress, Wolff has been impressed immensely. So much so, that the Mercedes team boss entrusted his Academy driver to train his six-year-old son, Jack.
According to the Athletic, Wolff stated, “He’s coaching our six-year-old. He’s not taking any advice from me. So with Kimi at least, (it helps) to have some access to describe apexes and exits of corners.”
Wolff is delighted with the Italian prodigy’s skyrocketing progress through the junior formulas. He praised Kimi Antonelli’s character by saying, “He was a great kid already then [in 2019 when Mercedes signed him]. You could see the character; he was strong. We had him in the (F1) garage, and there was a lot of confidence.”
The Austrian also appreciated Kimi Antonelli’s immense “track record”. He stated, “Then you put him in the junior formulas, and he wins every single season in his rookie year.”
Toto Wolff tempers expectations for Kimi Antonelli ahead of his debut F2 season
Toto Wolff understands that hitting the ground running won’t be easy for Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 2. Therefore, the Austrian boss has tempered his expectations that the 17-year-old may not be “killing it” in F2 in 2024. Either way, Mercedes prefers to keep a long-term vision for a raw talent like Kimi Antonelli.
The 2024 F2 season is going to be super competitive considering the quality of drivers that will compete in it. Prodigies like Ollie Bearman, Zane Maloney, Dennis Hauger, Isack Hadjar, and Zak O’Sullivan will be second-year drivers and can be championship contenders.
Thus, Kimi Antonelli may have his challenges to find his rhythm, let alone challenge for the title as a rookie. However, for a talent as exceptional as him, stars may align easily, given the unpredictability of F2.
Kimi Antonelli may then also be a contender for being an F1 driver as early as 2025. Just like George Russell, Williams may become a strategic option for Toto Wolff to place the 17-year-old rookie if he wins F2. As Williams is a Mercedes customer team and wants young rising talent like Kimi Antonelli, it could be ideal for them too.
Williams boss James Vowles, who has been Wolff’s confidante for years, also has seen and admired Kimi Antonelli’s talent. Vowles may take the Italian with open arms to be a Williams driver and groom him for Mercedes. Given Kimi Antonelli is only 17, he puts up a strong case as a long-term potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton if groomed correctly.
