Andrea Kimi Antonelli, from Italy, who races for Prema Racing, recently took part in a Formula 1 test session at Silverstone. However, Mercedes denied that this outing was a «showdown» to determine their 2025 driver lineup. Antonelli, who is competing in his first season in Formula 2, has been participating in various tests with Mercedes cars in preparation for his future in the top category of motorsport. He had the opportunity to test the 2021 Mercedes car at the Red Bull Ring and also tried out the latest ground effect car, the W13, at Imola last month. Earlier this month, Antonelli continued his testing program at the British Grand Prix venue, alongside full-time driver George Russell and reserve driver Mick Schumacher. Reports in the Italian media suggested that 17-year-old Antonelli matched Russell’s lap times in low fuel conditions and outperformed him in longer races. However, Mercedes clarified that the three drivers were conducting different testing programs and the goal was not to compare Antonelli to Russell. Mercedes will conduct their next Trackside Performance Car (TPC) test in Barcelona next week, with Mick and Kimi driving the W13 (2022 car). The team emphasized that the recent test at Silverstone was not a «showdown» and each driver had different programs, on different days and under different track and weather conditions. They expressed satisfaction with Mick and Kimi’s performance and are looking forward to the upcoming testing sessions.
Antonelli is widely considered the top choice to partner with Russell at the German team in 2025, unless team principal Toto Wolff manages to lure Verstappen away from Red Bull.
Russell, que consistentemente afirmou estar disposto a competir contra qualquer piloto escolhido, deu sua aprovação para Antonelli garantir o lugar.
«Ele é um piloto excepcional e sem dúvida tem futuro na Fórmula 1», comentou Russell em Imola.
«[Antonelli] apresenta uma ótima oportunidade para a Mercedes, enquanto eles olham para o futuro.»
Enquanto isso, Lewis Hamilton, que deixará a Mercedes no final desta temporada para buscar um novo empreendimento com a Ferrari, endossou Antonelli como seu possível sucessor.
«Para ser honesto, não tenho conhecimento dos planos de Toto, mas se dependesse de mim escolher um piloto jovem… provavelmente escolheria Kimi», afirmou Hamilton.
Antonelli puede tener la oportunidad de hacer su debut en la Fórmula 1 antes de la próxima temporada, si la solicitud de Williams para renunciar al requisito de edad mínima de la FIA tiene éxito.
Sin embargo, el representante de Prema en F2 cumplirá 18 años el 25 de agosto y sería elegible para reemplazar a Logan Sargeant, cuyo rendimiento ha estado por debajo de lo esperado, en el Gran Premio de Países Bajos.
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