Andrea Kimi Antonelli claims he’s ‘not afraid of being judged’ amidst rumors of 2025 move to Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli believed that he wasn't afraid to underperform at Mercedes and get judged for his poor performances.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Toto Wolff (Via: Imago)
Lewis Hamilton‘s switch to Ferrari has created a vacancy at Mercedes that is yet to be filled. Toto Wolff is not rushing into the decision to finalize a driver to follow up with Hamilton. However, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has remained one of the top candidates for the empty seat. The Italian has since shared his thoughts on the entire matter and claimed he wasn’t afraid of judgment.
Kimi Antonelli took the news by storm after Mercedes was rumored to have already signed a deal with the former. However, there has been no official news on the entire matter as the paddock awaits confirmation. FIA has already made an exception for the participation of 17-year-olds in the sport, especially for Antonelli.
Hence, speaking upon making a debut with Mercedes, Antonelli iterated that he wasn’t afraid of being judged. Subsequently, the Italian driver noted that Brackley had a clear opinion about his performances and potential. Additionally, the 17-year-old didn’t hesitate to accept the fact that his 2024 season in the Formula 2 championship didn’t kick off in the best manner.
I'm not afraid of being judged, I know Mercedes has a clear opinion about my potential, already this season in F2 the championship didn't kick off in the best way but there were no negative thoughts.Andrea Kimi Antonelli told motorsport.com
Kimi Antonelli claimed his ‘approach’ in Formula 1 was to ‘learn, grow and enjoy the moment’
Kimi Antonelli would be placed in the cockpit of one of the highly coveted seats in Formula 1 and would have to race with the best. As a result, Antonelli noted that he had some degree of worry alongside the prospect of not being able to perform well. Regardless, the Italian was ready and saw it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and enjoy the moment.
Some degree of worry I think is always there, the prospect of not being able to perform I think frightens everyone, My approach is to see it as a great opportunity to learn, grow and also enjoy the moment.Kimi Antonelli added
Mercedes will have to still work on their 2024 performance to provide Antonelli with a great benchmark to start with. Brackley has continued to improve in pace and is looking extremely promising. Hence, the coming season will be all the more exciting due to the Italian driver’s alleged rookie season with the German carmaker.
In case you missed it:
- Charles Leclerc asserts he’d like a ‘winning car’ from Ferrari amidst ongoing struggles in F1
- Mercedes admits to ‘restructuring of organisation’ with hopes of ‘building’ on the ongoing positive F1 run
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Aditya Pandya
(1440 Articles Published)