Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a highly regarded junior driver from Prema Racing, is about to have his first test in Formula 1 with Mercedes. The test will take place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in mid-April. According to Motorsport.com, the 17-year-old Italian will have a two-day test session on April 16 at the Austrian GP circuit. This test is made possible thanks to the F1 Previous Cars Testing regulations, which allow teams to use 2022 cars for reserve and junior talent programs. It will be the first time that current generation ground effect cars will be used for this purpose.
Antonelli will be driving the W13, which was the last winning car for Mercedes in GPs. This test is part of a series of planned outings to familiarize the young driver with the demands of Formula 1. Antonelli is currently competing in his debut season in Formula 2 with the Italian team Prema. He decided to skip Formula 3 after an impressive season in 2023, where he won the drivers’ title in the Alpine Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA). In Formula 2, he currently holds ninth place in the drivers’ standings with 24 points. His best result so far was a fourth place in the recent standout race at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia.
Antonelli’s rapid rise through the junior categories has led to speculation that he could be a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025. With Hamilton moving to Maranello next season, there has been much discussion about who will be George Russell’s partner at Mercedes in the future. Some of the potential candidates include Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, but team boss Toto Wolff reportedly has a keen interest in luring Max Verstappen away from Red Bull, where he has a long-term contract.
Wolff a exprimé son admiration pour Verstappen et a déjà affirmé précédemment qu’il avait manqué l’opportunité de l’engager alors qu’il concourait encore en Formule 3. Cependant, avec Antonelli également dans son viseur, Wolff devra être prudent pour ne pas laisser échapper un autre jeune talent. Il a reconnu l’engouement autour d’Antonelli, mais a souligné la nécessité de procéder avec prudence et de ne pas précipiter le jeune italien.
