Kimi Antonelli, the young racing prodigy, was appointed as the successor to Lewis Hamilton within the Mercedes squad, a day after his initiation into Formula One ended with a crash. Antonelli, who just celebrated his 18th birthday, was handed over the reins of George Russell’s vehicle for the initial practice round of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix taking place at Monza.
In contrast to the high expectations, his first showing came to an abrupt end after just six laps, or ten minutes, as he lost control of his Mercedes vehicle at 160mph at the Parabollica and skid back through the gravel and into the tyre barrier. Toto Wolff, the team’s manager, however, asserted that Antonelli’s mishap would have no bearing on his potential Formula One career and his progression to a junior driver role with the Silver Arrows was verified in time for his home event’s final practice.
“Achieving a coveted position as a Mercedes driver alongside George for 2025 is a dream come true for me,” revealed Antonelli. “Ever since I was young, it is something I have aspired to.
“I am deeply grateful to the team for their enduring support throughout my career thus far and their trust in my potential. Although I am still acquiring knowledge, I feel primed and ready to seize this opportunity. I am completely devoted to enhancing my performance and achieving the optimum result for the team.
“Moreover, joining forces with George thrills me. He too has risen from the team’s junior cohorts, similar to my journey, and I regard him as immensely respect-worthy. He is undeniably quick, a recurrent grand prix champion, and has already assisted in addressing my driving skills. I await with gusto the scope for practising alongside him and coming through for the team,” he added.
Hamilton’s sensational move to Ferrari for 2025 created a void in the Silver Arrows line-up, and after being unsuccessful in persuading Max Verstappen to switch from Red Bull, Antonelli was ushered in. Nonetheless, at this point, Mercedes indicated that the Russell-Antonelli pairing was strictly one season-long, thus, leaving a possible opening for Verstappen to join in the ensuing year.
Wolff declared, “Our 2025 driving squad is a fusion of expertise, prowess, vitality, and sheer velocity.” The contributions brought by George and Kimi to the collective, both on individual and partnership levels, triggers enthusiasm in us. This fresh ensemble paves the way for a new phase in our journey and bears witness to our robust youth programme alongside our conviction in nurturing home-grown talent.
George has demonstrated that he is amongst the elite drivers globally. Not only is he speedy, methodical and resolute, but he has also evolved into a potent leader within our crew.
Kimi has consistently displayed the requisite skill and speed to vie at the sport’s pinnacle. We are aware that the leap ahead would be enormous, but his exceptional performance in this year’s F1 trials has made an impression on us, and we pledge our support throughout his growth journey.
With an experienced comrade like George at his side, Kimi has the perfect opportunity to refine his skills. I am optimistic that their contributions will significantly fuel our ongoing momentum and help us maintain our position at the vanguard.” – PA