An official communication has not yet arrived, but the signals arriving from Mercedes all seem to converge on one idea: Kimi Antonelli will drive the Brackley car in the 2025 F1 championship. The next August 25th, Kimi will turn 18 and his advent in the Circus is also favored by amendment implemented by the FIA to the International Sporting Code, to two articles regarding Super Licence.
Rules that reduce the possibility of granting the title to drive in F1 to 17 years or also only in free practice sessions. One might thus think that Antonelli could have the opportunity to run in the free practice sessions intended for rookies, with the three-pointed Star car. Moreover, Kimi has already experienced the thrill of being behind the wheel of a Mercedesalbeit dated, during the tests held in Barcelona.
About this, Toto Wolff’s position is a confirmation: “We have embarked on a path in which Kimi Antonelli certainly plays an important role. Sainz is doing a fantastic job, but he is not part of our future plans and it was right to let him know in time“, the words of the Austrian manager. “We haven’t made a decision for next year yet, but we didn’t want Carlos to wait too“, Wolff specified.
On Antonelli, the technical director James Allison underlined: “He has definitely impressed everyone with the sessions he has done so far. He had never been in an F1 car, but he found the feeling easily. He is fast and hasn’t made any mistakes. He seems to do everything with extreme naturalness“, Allison said. Currently, the Italian driver is sixth in the F2 championship standings, obtaining points in seven out of ten races and his best finish being fourth place in Melbourne, Imola and Monaco.
