WATCH: Andrea Kimi Antonelli deems Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as his ‘idols’ on the current F1 grid

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been linked with the Mercedes seat since the start of the 2024 F1 season.

WATCH: Andrea Kimi Antonelli deems Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as his ‘idols’ on the current F1 grid

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen (Via: Imago)

The 2025 F1 grid has started to take shape with only a few seats remaining for the season. The most attractive among them all is the coveted Mercedes seat and the one leading the race for that is the young sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The 17-year-old has been heavily linked with the seat and while the hype around him is immense at the moment, he has named his idols on the current grid. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has named Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as the drivers he looks up to in the sport.

YouTube video

Antonelli is currently making his trade in F2.

FS Video
My favorite F1 driver, well he is my idol, Ayrton Senna, of the current drivers, the drivers I like a lot is Verstappen and Hamilton.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli via Formula 2 Instagram live

Antonelli via his reaction has made it known that he really looks up to the late. Ayrton Senna as an F1 driver. Moreover, he has also acknowledged the might of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the race track, with whom he could be seen banging wheels as soon as the 2025 F1 season.

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James Vowles deems Andrea Kimi Antonelli as ‘bloody impressive’

While Antonelli has revealed the names of his idols in F1, he has been the center of attention for his exploits in the 2024 F2 season. In recent races, the 17-year-old has really stepped up his game against his rivals.

Williams team principal James Vowles
James Vowles (Via: IMAGO)

Williams boss, James Vowles had his eyes on Antonelli during the recent Belgian GP weekend where F2 was also running.

And for me, what Kimi did is bloody impressive. It was against Colapinto, our own driver here [at Williams]. He went up the inside [of Eau Rouge] and he didn't lift.
James Vowles via Racingnews365

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is being seen by many as the driver who will join George Russell at Mercedes in 2025. Especially after Carlos Sainz‘s recent signing with the Williams F1 team on a multi-year deal. In the upcoming weeks, an announcement regarding Antonelli’s potential Mercedes signing could be made public by the Toto Wolff-led team.

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