SUMMARY
- Lewis Hamilton is set to join Ferrari after the end of 2024 season.
- Toto Wolff in look for a new driver has shortlisted an F2 driver from Prema racing to replace the Briton.
Mercedes’s long-term partnership with Lewis Hamilton comes to an end after the end of the 2024 season. The Silver Arrows needs to find a replacement to fill Hamilton’s seat before the end of the current season.
Mercedes has a history of putting drivers of legendary status in their seats like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Valtteri Bottas. However, Toto Wolff has shown interest in an F2 driver who goes by Andera Kimi Antonelli to replace the Briton for the 2025 season.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is likely to be Mercedes’ driver for 2025. #F1 #Formula1 #ChineseGP #MercedesAMGF1
>>>>A Thread🧵<<<< pic.twitter.com/uizTTw3Zq8— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) April 10, 2024
Toto has previously talked about how the car’s poor performance makes Kimi Antonelli an attractive option. Toto believes the rookie driver can better understand the car by taking out the pressure of winning and rebuilding a team around him to improve their performance.
Before promoting the rookie to F1, the driver will get behind the wheels of an older Mercedes f1 car throughout the season to get used to a faster-paced car.
Where and in which car is Kimi Antonelli set to take his first F1 test?
Kimi Antonelli has come a long way in the open-wheel racing series. The driver flourished in F4 with multiple wins at the Italian and German F4. and in 2023 managed to bag both Formula Regional Middle East and European Championship before moving to F2 in 2024.
Now, right after a year at F1, the junior driver has an opportunity to move to F1 as a partner for Geroge Russell. Before starting the season directly, the Italian needs some experience with F1 cars. The driver is set to get his first hands-on experience of an F1 car at the Austrian Red Bull racing Track.
The high-speed circuit with 10 turns will be an ideal location for the Italian to learn about the car and get a hands-on feel. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be taking the W12 for the testing on 16-17 April. While FIA allows cars of current regulations for testing, it has to be at least 2 years old.
The big day has arrived for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, as Mercedes put him through his paces in a Formula 1 car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring.#AndreaKimiAntonelli #Mercedes #Formula1 #F1 https://t.co/7LVhoidpbh
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) April 16, 2024
However, the driver will be going with an even older car. The W12 was the last car to win Mercedes the Constructors Championship. Toto wants the young driver to experience how a good car feels compared to the current cars with the new regulations which is underperforming.
Toto said, “What a really good car looks like”, adding,“[The test] is going to be there with a 2021 car, we want to give him the feeling of what a really good car looks like.”
The tests are a good place for Antonelli to understand the functioning of an F1 car and also to prove that he is the right choice to replace the legend Lewis Hamilton.