Mercedes have accomplished one other test session with Formula 2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli as speculations proceed to rumble on that the younger Italian might make his grand prix debut as early as this yr.
Since seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton introduced his shock departure from Mercedes in early February, the F1 world has been in hypothesis on who can take over his race seat from subsequent yr.
Mercedes workforce boss Toto Wolff has confirmed a number of instances that he’ll take his time to take a closing determination about Hamilton’s substitute. After early speculations steered that Carlos Sainz might be part of Mercedes, swapping successfully groups with Hamilton, two different drivers have been tipped as potential replacements.
Following the turmoil at Red Bull, Max Verstappen is taken into account as Wolff’s favorite substitute, and it’s believed that the Austrian has already held talks with the reigning world champion’s administration headed by Raymond Vermeulen.
However, many imagine that Mercedes’s younger driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli may be an possibility, regardless of his younger age and lack of expertise. The indisputable fact that the Anglo-German workforce has staged a number of test periods with the Italian additionally confirms that Wolff believes in Antonielli’s capabilities.
The Bologna native is presently competing within the 2024 Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing. Having accomplished three rounds (six races), he’s presently in ninth place within the Drivers’ Championship. He scored in 4 of six races, having secured his finest consequence within the feautre race of Round 3 of the season, in Melbourne.
He participated within the Italian Formula 4 Championship on the age of simply 15, and gained this sequence within the following yr. In 2022, he additionally competed within the German ADAC Formula 4 the place he additionally completed on high. Having stepped up into the Formula Regional European Championship final yr, he turned the third Formula Regional European Championship in his debut yr after Grégoire Saucy and Dino Beganovic.
The previous couple of weeks noticed Antonelli perform three test periods with Mercedes. The Italian first took half in a two-day test session, driving the 2021 F1 Mercedes automobile on the Red Bull Ring. The opening day was hindered by rain and snowfall, however he might rack up mileage within the three-year-old Mercedes on Day 2.
The Brackley-based outfit then headed to Imola for an additional test with the Italian teen getting behind the wheel of a two-year-old W13, gaining his first mileages in a present era F1 automobile. The sporting rule that’s known as Testing of Previous Cars permits groups to carry out test periods with vehicles which can be not less than two years previous.
During the Imola test run, Antonelli accomplished a powerful outing within the W13, having displayed not solely eye-catching tempo in low-fuel configuration, but additionally performing constant lap instances throughout his lengthy runs.
Mercedes continued to offer Antonelli with the chance of racking up mileage behind F1 vehicles. The Italian was handed one other test outing this week at Silverstone the place he obtained behind the wheel of the two-year-old W13 as soon as once more. The early a part of the day noticed Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher get behind the wheel of the W13 because the workforce wished to have a baseline setup for the day.
After the morning session, Antonelli took over the automobile to proceed his growth programme. The workforce didn’t disclose his lap instances, however it’s understood that the Italian accomplished his third test outing as easily as his earlier two on the Red Bull Ring and Imola.
Kimi Antonelli driving the W13 at Imola 👀
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) April 29, 2024
No debut in Imola
Speaking of Antonelli’s path into motorsport, Wolff mentioned: “I’m really keen and happy to see him in a Formula 1 car. He’s been with us since he was 11. I have a picture of him standing next to me on the centre console as a baby boy in go-karting, and now to witness that development into a Formula 1 driver is something that I’m really proud of.”
Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, it has been emerged that Antonelli might be part of Williams as early as at subsequent weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, taking on the race seat of Logan Sargeant, who has a tricky begin to his second season in F1.
It was even steered that Mercedes requested particular dispensation from the FIA to grant 17-year-old sensation an excellent license that might enable him to drive in F1 earlier than his 18th birthday in late August.
Speaking of the speculations a few potential debut, Williams workforce boss James Vowles confirmed that Antonelli won’t make his debut in Imola: “There was a rumour going around he’ll be in the car for Imola – he won’t be in the car for Imola,” Vowles mentioned throughout the Miami Grand Prix weekend of 17-year-old Antonelli.
“What we’re doing for the time being is evaluating drivers for ’26 and ’25, and what we actually need is the proper driver pairing for these two years, as a result of once you undergo a regulation change, you actually don’t wish to be altering drivers in ’26, so that you’re in search of the proper pairing for that time frame.
“There’s no doubt he’s got huge skill to him, but he was in a Formula 4 car 20 months ago. That’s where he is, it’s a very different proposition to most. We’ve been talking to four or five drivers at the moment for that period of time, and I’m quite happy to sit back a little bit and wait.”
