Four months ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has reviewed his progress as he prepares for his debut as a main driver for Mercedes in the W16. The young Italian evaluated his FP1 sessions at Monza and Mexico City, reflecting on the improvements made between the two. Part of his development involved working closely with Mercedes’ two lead drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Antonelli will inherit Hamilton’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, and has already started familiarizing himself with Russell, his future teammate.
Kimi Antonelli: “I was better prepared for FP1 in Mexico than at Monza”
The Italian talent shared key moments in his preparation for his anticipated Mercedes debut next season. After completing significant mileage in TPC tests, Kimi Antonelli made his official debut in front of his home crowd at Monza, though an early crash at Parabolica made it challenging. “I think it’s fair to say I learned a tough lesson in FP1,” said Kimi Antonelli. “I enjoyed the two laps I completed. It’s a memory I’ll hold onto and that will help me come back mentally stronger.” Despite the incident, his early run on soft tires displayed Mercedes’ confidence in him. Toto Wolff even praised Kimi Antonelli’s courage, reaffirming Mercedes’ faith in the young driver.
The Monza experience helped Antonelli mature, and he noted significant progress in his second FP1 in Mexico City. “When I had my second session in Mexico last month,” he explained, “I had more preparation time since it wasn’t an F2 weekend. It was a much smoother session, just what I needed after Monza. I didn’t take any risks, and I learned a lot.” After Mexico City, Mercedes highlighted how Antonelli felt mixed emotions: he had to hold back to avoid compromising the weekend or budget, but he completed Mercedes’ planned program successfully. “I’m building relationships with the team and learning how weekends will run next year,” he shared. “We just want to make sure there are no surprises!”
On working in the garage: “Sometimes I ask the drivers for advice. I’m learning a lot from Bono”
His growing presence in the garage at recent races has fostered synergy with his future teammate, George Russell. Antonelli has also had the rare privilege of observing a seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, at work. “Sometimes I ask for advice or why they made certain decisions,” he explained. “Both are incredible drivers. It’s amazing to work with them.” He’s also begun working with Peter Bonnington, the race engineer he will inherit from Lewis Hamilton, to prepare for 2025. The recent F2 break has allowed Antonelli to focus even more on team integration, including multiple visits to Mercedes’ facilities to understand the work behind the scenes. “The long break before Qatar and Abu Dhabi has been helpful,” he noted. “I’ve spent time at Brackley, working in the simulator and on data analysis. I even gave my first speech in front of the entire team at Brackley and Brixworth. I’m studying new circuits and learning steering wheel procedures.”
While he’s focused on completing his current F2 season, Kimi Antonelli is eagerly counting down to his F1 debut. “I want to finish F2 in style, but honestly, I’m counting down the days to my F1 debut.”
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