Photo: Mercedes-AMG
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will race for the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team next year, it was confirmed on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Italian, who has been a Mercedes junior since he was in mini karting back in 2018, entered contention for a 2025 F1 seat this February when Lewis Hamilton announced he would leave Mercedes after 12 years driving for them to join Ferrari.
Speculation ramped up on who would replace him, and by the summer break all the other contenders for the drive had committed their futures to Mercedes’ rivals so it was clear that Antonelli was going to occupy the seat.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff then revealed his 2025 line-up to the press, although it was widely understood that no formal announcement was going to come until this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix where Antonelli made his F1 practice debut with the team and suffered a 50G crash. He did his first F1 test in Mercedes’ 2021 car at the Red Bull Ring in April.
“It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025,” said Antonelli.
“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team.”
By the time of the season-opening 2025 Australian Grand Prix, Antonelli will be 18 years and 204 days old, which will make him the third youngest driver to ever race in F1.
“We are excited about what George [Russell] and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
“Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.”
He added: “Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport. We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process. In George, he has an experienced team-mate from which he can learn and hone his craft.”