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Mercedes will give Antonelli his debut in a Formula 1 car at the Italian Grand Prix as the Silver Arrows are closer to finalising its driver line-up for 2025, replacing Lewis Hamilton.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to be given his debut in Formula 1. The Italian will drive in the Mercedes W15 in FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix. The decision ramps up expectations for Antonelli to be promoted to the Silver Arrows for the 2025 season.
The Prema driver will turn 18 this Sunday. Despite this, Mercedes still asked for permission to give Antonelli a superlicence, despite being 17. However, the Italian will now be old enough regardless after this weekend in Zandvoort.
Antonelli has been a strong favourite to replace outgoing Lewis Hamilton, who is making the move to Ferrari. The Italian has participated in several private tests in W13 and W14 F1 cars in 2024.
Since Hamilton’s announcement, lots of rumours surrounding several drivers had been mentioned. Carlos Sainz, who is now at Williams, was rumoured. Max Verstappen was another name, who is set to stay at Red Bull for next season, despite the internal team issues.
Motorsport.com Italy believes the Brackley team will give Antonelli his first F1 outing at Monza on 30 August in one of its mandatory FP1 outings for a rooke driver. It is also expected that the Italian will be announced as a Mercedes driver next year on the same weekend.
Bonnington to be Antonelli’s engineer
The Prema driver is expected to take over Hamilton’, driving his W15 F1 car for FP1. The Italian will be engineered by Peter Bonnington.
Bonnington has been recently promoted to Mercedes Head of Race Engineering. Therefore, he will be staying with the Brackley team in 2025, despite Hamilton’s departure.
Several Mercedes members stayed at Spa-Francrochamps to keep an eye on Antonelli’s progress at the test.
However, Mercedes is yet to officially announce the decision for Antonelli to drive in FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix.
Anotnelli not taking anything for granted
The Italian spoke with Motorsport.com during the summer break, claiming he was not taking anything for granted at Mercedes. However, the Prema driver emphasises that he is not afraid to be judged.
“Some degree of worry I think is always there, the prospect of not being able to perform I think frightens everyone,” Antonelli said about the possiblity of becoming an F1 rookie. “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.
“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.”
Feature Image Credit: Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images