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Andrea Kimi Antonelli has spoken about his prospects of joining Formula 1 in 2025, saying he would “take it with eagerness” and “make the most of it”.В?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli debuted in Formula 2 this year, racing for PREMA Racing alongside Oliver Bearman. Both drivers were tipped for an F1 seat next year. They are part of the driver academies of F1 teams and Bearman has already completed an F1 race weekend.
The British driver signed with Haas a couple of weeks before the summer break, and now the focus is on Antonelli and Mercedes. With Lewis Hamilton leaving the Brackley-based outfit, speculation about who would replace him has been one of the frequent conversations this season.
Antonelli is just 17 years old (he turns 18 later this month) and has made the jump from Formula Regional to F2. His rookie season in F2 hasn’t necessarily been what one would’ve expected, but then again, neither has Bearman’s. The two PREMA drivers seemed to have struggled somewhat so far.
However, the Italian driver has achieved two victories in the first 10 rounds of the season. Antonelli won the Sprint Race at Silverstone and took victory in the Feature Race in Hungary. He’s currently seventh in the F2 Driver Standings with 87 points, but the expectations on him to get into Formula 1 are only rising.
In an interview with Autosport, Antonelli revealed his thoughts on potentially joining Mercedes and racing alongside George Russell next year.
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A hard-fought P1 in Budapest for Kimi ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yDhh4XDi5t
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 21, 2024
Embrace the opportunity
With only 20 seats available on the F1 grid, it is notoriously difficult to make it to the upper echelon of single-seater motorsport. Only a few drivers have debuted in F1 in the last few years – most recently with Logan Sargeant, who has just lost his seat at Williams.
As a result, several drivers have had to wait for their chance, like Oscar Piastri. But others, such as Felipe Drugovich, Théo Pourchaire and at the moment, Jack Doohan, have had to sit on the side-lines, or have raced in other series like IndyCar.
However, whilst it hasn’t been confirmed by Mercedes or Antonelli, the likelihood that the young Italian makes it to F1 next year is high. And as reported by Autosport, Antonelli isn’t “afraid” to join Mercedes. Antonelli admitted:
“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.
“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.”
The Mercedes Junior continued, confirming that if an opportunity did arise for him, he would not take it for granted. He said:
“I am quite calm, if the opportunity presented itself to me I would take it with eagerness and try to make the most of it.
“Recently there has been some pressure on me with all the rumours about next year, but I have always tried to enjoy it. I’m enjoying the opportunities I have.”
Headline image: X @Formula2