Kimi Antonelli admits he doesn’t know if he’s ready for F1 debut in 2025 amidst Mercedes rumors
Kimi Antonelli is one of the hottest prospects to come out of the junior circuit in recent times.
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Andres Kimi Antonelli (Via: Imago)
Even before the commencement of the 2024 season, Mercedes was left shocked as its star driver Lewis Hamilton had announced that he would leave the team to join Ferrari. This left the German marque in trouble as they had to find a replacement who would be able to fill his void. On the contrary, Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli was rumored to be promoted to Brackley, but the teenager has admitted that he is unsure whether he would be ready for the call-up to Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli began his F2 campaign with Prema Racing, a team known for its ability to hone future star drivers. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri have been former champions under the reigns of Prema Racing. Moreover, with such great amenities to develop a racing driver’s skills, the Italian was promoted directly from F4 to F2 to prove his worth to the grid.
On the other hand, with Mercedes having a vacant seat available for the 2025 season, Antonelli was speculated to be the lead candidate as super license rules were altered for his potential debut in F1. However, the 17-year-old still finds himself in a world of uncertainty as he claimed recently.
I don’t know if I would be ready, to be honest, because I still am learning a lot in F2. Definitely I still do quite a few mistakes, a few details that really matter, and I’m still not doing them right. I don’t know, to be honest. I’m trying to improve and to not make the same mistakes again, and I think [winning the Feature Race in Hungary] was the proof.Kimi Antonelli said in an interview with F1
The teenager reckoned that he is not ready for the call-up to F1 just yet. Furthermore, he admitted that he is still learning a lot in the junior category and claimed that he is prone to mistakes, but after winning the feature race in Hungary, he found much-needed confidence which will help him grow.
Toto Wolff reveals his expectations from Kimi Antonelli
On the contrary, as the prospect of Max Verstappen switching to Mercedes is pailing away, Antonelli’s promotion might be a done deal already. Despite this, Toto Wolff has certain expectations from the young Italian that he would need to fulfill to get a seat at the German marque.
The Austrian claimed that he wanted Antonelli to learn from his mistakes and become a better driver.
Remind yourself when you were 17. It would have never allowed me to take clear decisions. In such a high competitive field. So what I'd like to see from him is doing his best and learning from his mistakes. And continuing to guide the team. In order to improve the performance. Tire management. Reading the race. Reading the tire. And all of that he's done today.Toto Wolff said in an interview as quoted by GPBlog
The 52-year-old wanted the Italian to emerge as a team leader at Prema. He further asserted that he wanted the young driver to learn the details about tire management as it is a crucial detail in F1, and getting ready for a full-time seat in the championship.
As it stands, Antonelli currently sits sixth in the F2 driver’s standings with 85 points. The Italian currently trails the championship leader by 55 points but is highly optimistic about making a charge toward the top since his Feature Race win in Hungary.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)