After years of absence, an Italian driver will return to the F1 starting grid in 2025. Raised by Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is one of motorsport’s rising stars and is set to make his debut as a full-time F1 driver with the Brackley team, replacing Lewis Hamilton.
Born in Bologna on August 25, 2006, the talented 18-year-old takes on the significant legacy of Lewis Hamilton, who has moved to Ferrari. Replacing a seven-time world champion who made history with the Anglo-German team is no easy task, but Antonelli does not seem intimidated.
Despite his young age, Kimi shows remarkable composure in an interview with the Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m aware that I’ve inherited a big seat to fill. Lewis is a figure who has made F1 history, so it wouldn’t be right to compare us.”
Antonelli quickly dismisses the issue: “I just focus on doing the best job possible and building my own path as a Mercedes driver.” From Sir Lewis, Kimi has also inherited his race engineer, Peter Bonnington: “I work closely with him and the team. The goal is to be fully prepared for Melbourne, and so far, the preparation has gone very well. […] I’ve had to go through many changes, starting with the training regime needed to reach the high physical level required in F1.”
Calm but determined, the young talent from Bologna is aware of his abilities while keeping his feet firmly on the ground. “My mindset is always to get on track and try to win. However, I’m also aware that the level of drivers today is extremely high. It won’t be an easy goal to achieve.”
“I’ll try to focus on myself, minimizing mistakes and learning from past ones,” explains the 2006-born driver. “The most important thing will be to get on track and do the best possible job. Then we’ll see where we can get. At the moment, I don’t feel the pressure of having to meet certain expectations placed on me. I’m focused and can’t wait for the season to start,” concludes the driver of Toto Wolff’s team.
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