Introducing F1’s rookies: Mercedes undertakes a Verstappen-like project with Antonelli

For Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, it’s private selling Andrea Kimi Antonelli to a Components 1 race seat with the Silver Arrows squad at simply 18.

Wolff is viewing Antonelli’s sensational rise by means of the junior formulation as the prospect to place proper what went fallacious in Mercedes lacking out on Max Verstappen’s providers again in 2014.

Autosport understands that the Austrian even feels that, had Verstappen been underneath his wing as Antonelli is now, then the outbursts and incidents which have tracked by means of the world champion’s profession would’ve been lowered in quantity, if not eradicated altogether.

Understanding Wolff is a important facet of Antonelli’s story thus far – simply at some point away from making his first official F1 race weekend look as a full-time driver. A Monza one-off in entrance of his house Italian crowd this isn’t.

Wolff signed Antonelli – the son of GT racer Marco Antonelli who owns AKM Motorsport racing group and has a troublesome man popularity in motorsport circles – again in 2018 when he was simply 12. A growth programme with F1 as the last word vacation spot adopted, with Wolff now thought of a agency pal of the Antonelli household.

As a a number of karting champion, Antonelli stepped as much as automobile racing in Components 4 in 2021 – successful the Italian and ADAC championships the next 12 months. Then in 2023 and simply his first season, Antonelli received the Components Regional European championship that F1 groups have come to view as one of the best breeding floor for future driving success, in addition to its Center East variation.

Mercedes opted to skip the F3 step on the F1 assist invoice and place Antonelli instantly in Components 2 for 2024 – with the intention for the famously precarious championship to cease his ‘successful straightforward’ streak.

Wolff and co had ideas on this being a two-year challenge earlier than Lewis Hamilton’s defection to Ferrari turbocharged the tempo of Antonelli’s F1 commencement.

“I made up my thoughts 5 minutes after Lewis Hamilton advised me that he was going,” Wolff finally mentioned of his resolution to companion Antonelli with George Russell for 2025.

However, in any case, Mercedes was extra all in favour of how Antonelli delivered in its Testing of Earlier Automobiles (TPC) programme than his F2 leads to a 2024 marketing campaign made tougher by his Prema group struggling initially with the championship’s new automobile.

Antonelli’s TPC programme utilised each 2021 and 2022 Mercedes F1 automobiles. Earlier than his first within the former, the illustrious W12, he made positive to memorise all 30 workers members required to run the automobile within the check on the Crimson Bull Ring. Each side took this rise extraordinarily severely.

An additional wise train in testing Tremendous Components equipment late in 2024 – particularly to be taught the Suzuka monitor – was scuppered by sickness that had additionally severely impacted Antonelli’s closing F2 spherical in Abu Dhabi final 12 months.

After which, similar to that, he was being led across the press room by a Mercedes press attache on the F175 Dwell occasion to satisfy the media as a fully-fledged Mercedes race driver.

“It has been fairly fascinating,” he mentioned when Autosport requested if he felt his life had modified in that brief time.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

Picture by: Getty Photos

“Winter preparation has been fairly intense. I have been spending numerous time on the manufacturing unit attempting to do numerous group constructing. However, up to now, it has been actually fascinating and it is gone effectively.

“I have been actually attempting to focus, daily, on the progress and attempting to give attention to attempting to be taught as many issues as doable. As a result of what I wish to keep away from is arriving to Melbourne and having some unhealthy surprises. So undoubtedly preparation has been fairly intense, however superb.”

Pre-season testing in 2025 went effectively for Mercedes, with Antonelli’s day two race simulation shading Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by simply 0.1s every lap on common.

However, Antonelli left Bahrain lamenting a scarcity of preparation in extracting one of the best from the Pirelli tyres in qualifying as a result of time misplaced in sudden rain after which a battery problem. Qualifying is, in spite of everything, considered one of his new team-mate Russell’s biggest strengths.

“For the lengthy runs, I obtained fairly a good understanding as a result of I have been doing numerous lengthy runs and been experiencing several types of approaches,” he mentioned. “[For example,] how one can introduce the tyre into the run.

“While for qualifying, there’s nonetheless some work to do. However it’s primarily due to testing we have been attempting numerous completely different approaches with tyres. Additionally completely different form of out-laps with a view to see how the tyres react and the way it holds on through the lap.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos

However, nearly as good as Bahrain went for the Silver Arrows squad, Ferrari and Crimson Bull are anticipated to have maintained their positions above Mercedes within the four-way scrap with McLaren.

This implies Antonelli might be doing his studying within the glare of the media highlight to which solely Liam Lawson will have the ability to relate of the large rookie crop this season.

It additionally means Antonelli is prone to be retreading the bottom of studying to win at a brand new and even harder stage. And, ought to there be any repeats of his 2024 Monza FP1 shunting, then it’s seemingly Wolff might want to choose his cost up simply as he did at important occasions final 12 months.

“Once we determined to go for Kimi, it was clear that we’re going for a younger driver that has proven great potential within the junior collection since we have identified him,” Wolff mentioned in Melbourne on Thursday.

“For Kimi, it is in regards to the time to develop, to be taught the tracks, to be on high for subsequent 12 months, the regulation change. Meaning nice outcomes and meaning moments the place it may be harder.”