The candidate for the seat at Mercedes for the 2025 season, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, says he’s not certain whether or not he’s prepared for the switch to F1.
Mercedes remains to be unclear about who might be George Russell’s subsequent teammate after the departure of Lewis Hamilton.
Initially, probably the most hypothesis was that Hamilton might be changed by an skilled driver – for instance, Carlos Sainz, however in current weeks there was an increasing number of discuss and writing about the truth that Mercedes might guess on youth.
The Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will have fun his 18th birthday in a month, might get the seat.
However, Antonelli has lengthy been thought-about a star of the long run, and as well as, he has began to do nicely in F2 in current weeks, the place he’ll make his debut this 12 months.
Not like standard, the Italian entered the F2 collection with no Method 3 expertise, however thus far he’s coping nicely with the problem.
Regardless of the not-so-good type of the in any other case top-class Prema steady, it’s holding on to sixth place after 9 weekends away and, above all, has began to gather vital wins. Within the final two rounds of the championship, he all the time scored one: at Silverstone within the dash and now on the Hungaroring he additionally had a triumph in the principle race.
Possibly that is why he obtained the chance to observe the Hungarian Grand Prix proper subsequent to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff…
Nevertheless, when requested if he already feels able to enter F1, Antonelli, quoted by Autosport, replied:
“Truthfully talking, I do not know if I might be prepared (for subsequent 12 months, editor’s observe). I am nonetheless studying loads in F2. I nonetheless make a whole lot of errors. This additionally applies to the main points that matter. I am nonetheless not doing the whole lot proper.’
The Mercedes junior self-critically added one particular instance from Hungary.
“I made a small mistake within the first nook on Saturday. I blocked the tires a bit and one in every of them developed a flat. And regardless that I knew that, I saved pushing the tire. In the long run, I destroyed it loads and needed to pit,” defined the Italian, who thus far has higher outcomes than his teammate and future Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman.
“I really feel a lot lighter since Silverstone. I’ve rather less stress on my shoulders. The stress was constructing weekend by weekend, when it was all talked about (that he nonetheless did not win, editor’s observe). So the Silverstone race was an enormous aid for me. I simply centered on myself now and I believe it confirmed,” added Antonelli on his present kind.