Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli insists he is excited for ‘what is coming’ after stepping into a Formula One car for the very first time. The teenage Italian, who has been widely tipped to replace Lewis Hamilton next year, got behind the wheel of the Mercedes W12 for testing in Austria.
Antonelli took in two days of running at the Red Bull Ring as he got his first taste of F1 action before potentially making his debut next season. He ran into some issues on the first day through no fault of his own, with snowfall preventing him from completing as many laps as he would have hoped.
The inclement weather meant that most of Antonelli’s running was restricted to the second day, after which he said that he was raring to go again after being left pleased with how things went.
“Hello guys, first day done in an F1 car,” said Antonelli in a video on Mercedes’ social channels. “It’s been an incredible experience and I loved every second of it.
“The first day didn’t go as planned. We got some snow unfortunately so we couldn’t really drive. The second day was great and I did quite a lot of laps. It was really good fun. I want to thank the team for all their hard work and I’m excited for what is coming.”
Antonelli, currently in F2 with Prema Racing, is expected to take part in further tests before the end of the year as he looks to show Mercedes that he is worthy of an F1 seat. It has been reported that he is Toto Wolff’s top choice to succeed Hamilton when the 39-year-old joins Ferrari ahead of next season.
If Antonelli joins the grid next year, he will become the third youngest driver in the history of the sport behind only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. Ferrari academy star Oliver Bearman currently holds that place in the record books after filling in for Carlos Sainz at last month’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Wolff has already insisted that he is not in any rush when it comes to picking a driver to replace Hamilton next year, saying earlier this month: “We haven’t taken the decision yet and it’s not something that we plan to do in the next few weeks.
“The driver market is very dynamic. Some of the really good guys are about to sign for some of the other teams. We want to continue to have these discussions and keep the options open but it’s much too early for us to commit to a driver, whether very young or very experienced.”
