The new Mercedes driver, who will take Lewis Hamilton’s place starting in 2025, as the British driver will join Ferrari, shared his experiences with Max Verstappen so far and more.
Kimi Antonelli: “As a child, I supported…”
The young Italian driver, interviewed by the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, was first asked if it’s possible for drivers to be friends: “Off track, yes. But on track, you can’t look at anyone; no one does you any favors, and you can’t expect any. There, you only race for yourself,” Kimi Antonelli replied.
The eighteen-year-old then spoke about his current relationship with the three-time world champion, Max Verstappen: “I’ve spoken to him a couple of times, and he’s a good person; I like him a lot. We’ve also raced against each other on the simulator, and he follows the junior categories closely. On track, he’s seen as very strict, but off track, he’s very accommodating, normal.” – the Italian pointed out.
Let us also remember that Kimi Antonelli will make his debut as a full-time driver next March in Melbourne, where he will partner George Russell at Mercedes: “I haven’t realized it yet; maybe I will in Melbourne. It will be very exciting, but for now, I’m just focusing on working on myself. How? You try not to think about anything other than what you need to do, concentrate on the start, and try to visualize the various situations. There will be butterflies in my stomach, but I try to focus on what to do.” – he added.
Kimi Antonelli finally spoke about his childhood idols, particularly Ayrton Senna: “I’ve done a lot of research on him. I understood that he wasn’t just a great driver but also a great person.”
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