Mercedes confirm Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement on day after practice crash · RaceFans

Mercedes has finally confirmed its long-expected decision to promote 18-year-old junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to its Formula 1 team next year.

The rookie will make his grand prix debut in the seat previously occupied by the most successful driver in the sport’s history, seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, when he leaves Mercedes to join Ferrari.

The team made its announcement despite Antonelli’s unpromising start to his F1 career yesterday. Driving his future team mate George Russell’s car in the first practice session, he crashed heavily after just five laps. However Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was quick to point out Antonelli had shown impressive pace at the beginning of his brief run.

Antonelli said the confirmation of his promotion to Mercedes’ works team next year “is an amazing feeling.” His new team mate Russell spent three years at Williams before being promoted to the top team two years ago.

“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy,” he said. “I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me.

“I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team.”

A Mercedes junior since 2019, Antonelli rocketed through the junior formulae after an outstanding karting career. He won the Italian and German Formula 4 championships in his first full season racing cars in 2022, before becoming Formula Regional European and Formula Regional Middle East champion the next year.

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Antonelli was promoted directly into Formula 2 for this year, taking a seat at Prema alongside future Haas driver Oliver Bearman. Despite a challenging start to the season for Prema, Antonelli has taken two race victories in his rookie campaign in the series so far, winning the Silverstone sprint race and the feature race at the Hungaroring.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Monza, 2024 — **Report: Antonelli admits he was “pushing too much” when he crashed in practice**

As a part of Mercedes’ junior driver programme, Antonelli has also tested the team’s Formula 1 cars on multiple occasions this season, including the ground effect-era W13 from 2022.

Wolff said Mercedes’ choice of drivers for next year “combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed.”

“We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership. Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.”

He acknowledged Antonelli faces “another big step up” when he arrives at the team next year. However Wolff believes Antonelli has “consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport.”

“He has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process,” Wolff added. “In George, he has an experienced team mate from which he can learn and hone his craft. I am confident that both will contribute greatly as we continue to build momentum and fight at the front of the field.”

Antonelli will be the youngest Formula 1 driver on the grid when he makes his debut in the Australian Grand Prix next March. He will be the third-youngest grand prix driver in history at 18 years, six months and 19 days old, with only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll having made their debuts at a younger age.

View the current list of 2025 F1 drivers and teams

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