Imola, 25 April 2024 – From dream to reality a two steps from home. The Imola GPcould see the absolute debut of the Bolognese driver Kimi Antonelli on a single-seater Formula 1. Which? There Williams vacated by Sergeant Loagan. The arrival of the Emilian talent (now under the wing of Mercedes) in the top automotive series could therefore arrive ahead of its time according to the English journalist Joe Saward. The ‘zero’ date was initially that of the Italian GP, in Monza, but if it were to arrive there age exception by the FIA (Kimi is not yet 18), the Antonelli’s career (which now runs in Formula 2) could take a dramatic turn.
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The road opens flat since the Williams is destined to leave him a free seat thanks to the ties that unite it to Mercedes. The other obstacle could be the superlicense necessary to drive in Formula 1, but the young driver of Prema Racing, racing in the lower categories has already accumulated the points necessary to obtain it. In 2020 and 2021, Antonelli obtained the title of European Kart Champion in the OK category, before moving on to single-seaters and also dominating the Formula 4 championships.
The conditional is a must, but the scenarios that open up for the Bolognese driver are infinite. The divorce between Sergean and Williams – especially after the episode of the sale of the car to Albon in Australia -, it seems imminent, and Kimi could take advantage of sliding doors. Waiting, perhaps as early as next season, to, who knows, take the outgoing man’s place at Mercedes Lewis Hamilton.
