F1 teenager Kimi Antonelli just got his driver’s license — right on time to replace Lewis Hamilton

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was more tense than it was for some time. The race driver’s profession can often depend on moments of sliding doors like this.

The 18 -year -old was not trying to secure one Formula campaign. Complete that mission months ago when he fell with Mercedes to replace Luis Hamilton.

It was about to sit on the driving test.

Thirty minutes later, the Italian teenager was wandering under his frizzy hair wipe and raising the thumb of the camera. It has passed – the first time, of course. There will be no need to pressure another test between the feverish travel requirements for the F1 calendar. And “Sharaf” being a F1 driver active without a road license – once on Max Verstapen, who first appeared at the age of 17 – will not apply to Antonelli.

It was an early dose of pressure that was well dealt with by the driver who will appear for the first time with Mercedes in the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, where he entered the cockpit that violated Hamilton, a seven -time world champion 21 years in Antonelli.

Antonley knows he You cannot expect simulation Hamilton has operated Mercedes for 12 years, which resulted in six world championships and 84 wins in the race to become the most successful partnership in the drivers team in the history of F1. But he takes all the support he can before his first season.

“I am the next Mercedes driver and I run the seat of a person who made history in sports, so it is a great privilege,” said Antonelli Athlete In an interview. “It’s a great responsibility, but I got the right people around me.”

Cars have always been a major part of Antoneli’s life.

Watch his father, Marco, how a young Kimi played with gaming cars and decided to take him in the five.

Kimi immediately fell in love with a sense of speed. (Antonelli goes in his middle name, which has nothing to do with the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

“Sometimes the motorsport can be harsh,” said Antonelli. “He was afraid that I would have been very disappointed, so he wanted to avoid it. But when I saw that I really liked to drive and really loved sport, he decided to give it.

This love was strengthened by the father and son on Sunday spent watching F1 races together. While Antonelle would have felt watching Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fenningo Alonso, his heroes in races are the ones who return to another. His father showed him the famous race between the generation of Vilnov and Renny Arno in Dijon in 1979, which many consider the greatest battle of all time, giving him an appreciation of the history of sport from an early age.

“It was great,” said Antonelli. “You see how different it is, compared to cars now. You also appreciate the way the drivers are still fighting on the right track despite knowing that the cars were not as safe as today. They were still going to you and you are really able to see these battles. “

Felinov and Erton Cena emerged as Antonelle’s favorite drivers, partly due to their violent style. Antonelli said: “Ariston is my hero, but Velnov now understands why my father was a fan of him.” “It was a lion on the path.”

After using it for the first time 12 as his race in Formula IV, Antonley chose this for his first season for the F1 season as a reference to Sina, who was racing with 12 during the first four years of his career, including the first championship season in 1988 Felinov also ran with 12 in 1978 and 1979.

While the history lessons that Antonelli received as a child strengthened his passion for the path, on the path, he was characterized quickly and raised the ladder. Its applying it on the major scout radar, including Join Lagro, Mercedes beginners. This led to the meeting of Antonley, director of Mercedes Toto Wolf at the age of 11, before signing the young driver’s program in 13.

It was Antonelle’s character as well as his ability to like Wolf. By the time he ascended to one actor and continued to win all his hands, including both the Italian and German titles in his first year before the title of regional formula in 2023, it was clear that the teenager had a special thing. In the long run, it was a place in the Mercedes F1 squad in the future alongside George Russell in the mind of the team’s management. It was just a timing issue.

When Hamilton, who expected many to end his career in Mercedes, last January he would leave for Ferrari in 2025, It took a five -minute spink To decide Antonelli, then only 17 years old, the man who is replacing it will be.

“We have a great relationship, not only professionally, but also outside the path,” Antonelli said. He is a great man, really supported within great moments but also within difficult moments. I am very happy to be with him. He gave me a lot of help. “

Wolf has entrusted Antoni to teach his six-year-old son Jack, and how Go-Kart. Antonelle said: “It is not bad, it was very improving,” Antoneli said. “Every test was improved and better. It was good to see it.”

The only thing that was both Wolf and Mercedes is keen to avoid it is to press or expect on antnelli. Just minutes after his first trip in Monza, one day before the 2025 seat was announced, he was ignored as part of the learning curve. Mercedes does not expect a 18 -year -old to repeat what Hamilton has achieved.

For the first time for such a prominent team of such an early age is rare in F1. Young drivers usually get their first opportunities at the bottom of the network to learn the ropes and create a name for themselves before proving that they are ready for a higher seat. Russell spent three years in Williams before obtaining Mercedes Drive. Red Paul initially put Versaben in her brother team, Toro Rousseau, before promoting him during his second season.

The only successful exception to Al Qaeda in the last F1 history is the man to be replaced by Antonley: Hamilton. He got a McLaren seat for his first season in 2007, and got one point of winning the championship as a rising. It is impossible to impossible, there is no expectation that Antonley will meet.

Antonelle’s youth meant that his steps even F1 required an additional degree of preparation. In addition to his obligations in the race in the formula last year, he conducted a wide amount (less than 20 days) of special tests in old cars, while raising the frequency of the engineering team. Antonelle also managed to include himself with the Mercedes engineering crew in races during the second half of the season, and to get to know the voices and faces that he will tend to until 2025.

Antonelli feels responsibility not only towards Mercedes but also towards his homeland Italy. While the nation has an unparalleled history in motorsport, Ferrari has become a national team by reality, it has not produced a world champion since Alberto Askari in 1953 nor a great winner in the Grand Prize race since the last success in Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006 With Renault.

“There is a lot of noise, of course, heading to the next season,” said Antonelli. “Certainly, you feel some responsibility because you know that you got Italy behind

“But it’s also really exciting. I can’t wait until it starts next year, and I can’t wait for my home race in IMola. I would like to see many Italians chant.” The RED spaces for Ferrari, which usually cover the stands in IMOA, with silver and black Mercedes, may be permeated this year.

In Imola and Monza and beyond, it will be difficult for Antonelli to really prepare until that happens. It has already been recognized much more. The fans stopped him with every few steps walking through Milan Malabinza airport last year from his flight from Heathrow; Antonelli gently stopped to take selfies every time. He admitted that he is “a little strange” to start, but he knows that he is part of the job. “When you get used to it, it is normal.”

Antonelle, 18, and Bearman, 19, will join the F1 network this year. (Joe Portlock / Getty Images)

Naturally in F1, yes, but Antonelli is still a teen New, Russell. But he also loves to keep acute by contrast or even a SIM race with his friends.

The racists of the lover at the rise of Antonelli last year was his friendship with his teammate F2Lie Bearman, who will also graduate to F1 this year with Haas. Both are Prema’s race, they collected many fun social media videos together and hit a good relationship away from the track. It is something Antonelli hopes to be useful for them because they are standing to F1.

“He is a great man, he is fast,” Antoneli said about Berman. “I learned a lot of it. I am pleased to share the network with him next year. Since we will be new next year, especially at the beginning, only we knew each other while we were racing together, and it will help.”

When it comes to dealing with the jump until F1, Antonelli will look at all the support he can get. Although he will be one of the six of the youngsters in a full season on the F1 network this year, it is possible that his attention is Ward Paul, who already have 11 races of his name, for the greatest interest in the fact that they are with them- operate the teams that won the races last year .

Antonelli preparations make more important. Mercedes will start in 2025 in an attempt to find the consistency that a lot lacks last year. Russell will turn into the role of the team leader after Hamilton’s departure, but for Antonelle, it is all about obtaining the basics and not allowing this occasion to excessively. “It will be a great season in the forefront,” Antonelli said.

Now, with his driving license, the smallest F1 driver is ready for anything.

(Alawite Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)