Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes once the seven-time world champion moves to Ferrari at the end of the season, according to an announcement by the Formula One team on Saturday.
Rookie Antonelli, who turned 18 last weekend, will team up with George Russell, who is also part of the team's junior program. "Reaching F1 has been a dream of mine since I was a young boy; I want to express my gratitude to the team for their support throughout my career and the confidence they have placed in me," Antonelli stated.
"I am still in the process of learning, but I feel prepared for this opportunity. My focus will be on improving and achieving the best results for the team." Despite a dramatic start to his F1 career, where he crashed into barriers at Monza during his first practice session, Mercedes selected Antonelli.
During the Italian Grand Prix's first practice, he lost control at the Parabolica turn and severely damaged the front of the car after hitting the gravel. Mercedes described the incident as "unfortunate but part of the learning process."
Team principal Toto Wolff was not overly concerned, stating, "He apologized immediately, which is the right thing to do when you return a car that looks like a collapsed Lego box." Wolff also noted that "no one really cares about FP1 anyway" and hinted that Antonelli might get another chance in a Mercedes F1 car at the Mexican GP in late October.
Antonelli's youth career has been impressive, winning multiple championships including the 2022 Italian and German Formula 4, and the 2023 Middle East and European regional Formula championships. This season, he bypassed Formula 3 to compete in Formula 2, where he achieved his first victory at Silverstone in July and another win in Budapest shortly after. He currently ranks seventh in the championship with four rounds remaining.
