His Formula 1 debut with Mercedes in 2025 has not even been definitively decided or announced yet, but few drivers would enter the big stage with as much praise and anticipation as Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli, who turns 18 on Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix later this month, has had a meteoric rise, jumping straight from Formula Regional to F2 while being groomed to be the heir to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli had long been earmarked as Hamilton’s successor, but the Briton’s surprise departure to Ferrari surprised Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and led to the team having to accelerate the Italian prodigy’s development program.
Managing this rapid rise requires strong shoulders and a good support system. But even though life is moving pretty quickly for the 17-year-old, he hasn’t forgotten to stop every now and then, look around and appreciate the journey ahead.
In his first in-depth interview, Antonelli tells Motorsport.com that he takes nothing for granted and isn’t afraid of being judged on the biggest stage.
“I think a certain level of anxiety is always there. The prospect of not performing scares everyone,” Antonelli says of the prospect of becoming an F1 rookie. “I see it as a great opportunity to learn, grow and enjoy the moment.”
“I’m not afraid of being judged. I know that Mercedes has a clear opinion about my potential. The F2 championship didn’t start optimally this season, but I had no negative thoughts.
“I am very calm. If the opportunity presented itself, I would take it with enthusiasm and try to make the most of it.
“There’s been a bit of pressure on me lately because of all the rumours about next year, but I’ve always tried to enjoy it. I enjoy the opportunities I have.”
Despite an unusually difficult start for the Formula powerhouse Prema, Antonelli has so far achieved two victories in his first F2 season. He goes into the summer break in seventh place in the overall standings. His teammate, the future Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman, is in 15th place after an equally bumpy start. Among other things, he had to sit out the race in Saudi Arabia to represent Carlos Sainz at Ferrari.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drives Mercedes W12
But while Formula 2 is a good school to hone one’s racing skills and learn to deal with competitive pressure, Mercedes judges Antonelli’s progress primarily on the basis of private tests with two-year-old machines, which were a breathtaking experience for him.
“During the pre-season tests in Bahrain, I was given the data and at that point I said to myself: ‘Well, now you’re really going to drive an F1 car!’ It was a very special moment because there was a day and a track, black and white,” he says.
His first two-day test took place at the Red Bull Ring in April, driving the 2021 Mercedes W12 that most recently brought the Silver Arrows a constructors’ title. In subsequent tests at Imola and Silverstone, he switched to the 2022 W13, which is a much more similar ground-effects car to the current generation, but is also more difficult and unpredictable to drive; just ask Hamilton or George Russell.
“It was really a great experience,” said Antonelli about his first F1 outing. “I had that excitement even on the first lap, even though the conditions were not the best, it was raining and in the afternoon it even snowed!”
“Then the track got better on the second day and in the dry the performance came out: power, braking, aerodynamic load. It was crazy.”
“When I arrived at the track, I just opened the garage door and was shocked at how many people were there, both engineers and mechanics, all to drive one car.
“And you have to be able to answer and respond to a lot of questions. It took me a while to get used to it, but now everything seems normal.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes tests in Imola
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
Racing a Formula 1 car around the world’s greatest circuits is one thing, but pushing the limits of a machine that offers seemingly bottomless grip and power is another thing entirely. Antonelli realised this as he raced through the fast corners of Silverstone, Copse, Maggots and Becketts.
“Unbelievable,” he laughs. “You think it’s impossible, but when you try it and see that the car stays in, you say: man, there’s still room for maneuver!”
“An F1 car gives you a lot of confidence and one difficulty I encountered was finding the limit. Every time I ask for something more, the car gives it to me. The moment will come when I will understand that there is nothing more to get out of it, that will be the limit, but it is a very narrow window.
“I am aware that the margin for error is very small. But the more confidence I have in the car, the more comfortable I feel.”
“I didn’t plan to get into F2 and win everything”
At Mercedes, Antonelli had to draw on a firehose of information, but his ability was already being tested after his jump from Formula Regional to F2, skipping F3. It is reminiscent of Max Verstappen’s rise, skipping F2 after Red Bull offered him a direct promotion from F3 to a seat at Toro Rosso, where he became the youngest driver ever in F1 and went on to win a race.
Antonelli says that, unlike some observers, he never took success in Formula 2 for granted given his relatively limited experience with cars.
“No, because I never expected to go straight into F2,” he says. “When they told me that was the plan, I thought it was a big jump because normally you go into F3 first, but at the same time I was immediately attracted by the challenge.”
“I didn’t plan to come to F2 and win everything. I always knew that the jump from Formula Regional would be a big challenge and I knew I still had a lot to learn and I still do.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Shameem Fahath
“I am also very happy with the relationship I have (with Wolff). In difficult moments I ask him for advice and he always looks for a way to give me confidence.
“I’ll give you an example. After the disappointing qualifying at Silverstone, I called him because it was a pretty tough time. We talked a lot and that conversation gave me back my confidence. The next day I won and it was really nice to see him on the podium.
“I think when you go through difficult times, you come out of it stronger at the end, also in terms of your attitude. Silverstone and Budapest confirmed that.”
But as much as Wolff sees Antonelli as his man for the future and the Italian can hardly wait for his big chance, he doesn’t want to get too carried away. Dreams are dreams until they become reality.
“I’m very happy to be considered, but I’m not asking for anything,” he stressed. “At the moment my goal is to do well in Formula 2, then we’ll see.”
“I still see it as a dream. Yes, I have thought about it by chance, but it is a fleeting thought.
“I can honestly say that for me this is still a dream. Let’s see if it comes true.”
