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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a rookie Formula 1 driver for Mercedes, refutes claims that he will replace Lewis Hamilton in the team.
The 18-year-old Italian was essentially the same as the seven-time champion when Mercedes selected Antonelli to make his debut this year after they learned he wanted to join Ferrari in 2025 before the season even had begun.
However, Antonelli is arguing that he wants to leave a lasting impression in Formula One.
Antonelli told BBC Sport, “I don’t feel like his replacement.” I just “feel like a Mercedes F1 driver,” she said.
However, it offers such a fantastic opportunity. Mercedes gave me a lot of opportunities and trust, and I’m very grateful for it. But it’s also a big responsibility because I’m racing for Mercedes, the top team, and they have expectations, of course. I’ll just make the most of this, I promise.
On paper, it seems daunting to step into the car driven by the most successful F1 driver in history for a world-record-breaking team. No pressure, as some might put it.
However, Antonelli seems to be taking it seriously right now. For an 18-year-old, he is remarkably mature, as his team-mate George Russell asserts.
He states, “I really want to start with a nice rhythm, build from there, and be consistent.” And that’s a big mistake I don’t want to make, really. Because you take a few steps back when you commit a serious mistake, recovery takes some time.
A name like Antonelli has been popular in Formula One for a while. He has a reputation for being one of motorsport’s most prodigious talents for a while.
He began Mercedes’ youth program at the age of 11 and spent just one season in Formula 2. He was promoted to F1 and then finished his season in Formula 2.
People who have worked with him have eluded doubt over how talented he is and how he might emerge as the next big thing.
Therefore, it was anticipated that he would soon enter Formula One. Even so, even he was taken aback by how quickly he was parachuted into a formidable team.
Andrea, who is he? Or Kimi?
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Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes, which forced Toto Wolff’s team, has led to his promotion.
Wolff could have farmed Antonelli out to another team to gain some experience from Russell at Williams from 2019 to 2021.
In the end, Wolff preferred to put Antonelli in at the deep end, train him well with thousands of miles of testing in used cars, and put faith in his abilities.
Wolff claimed that Mercedes’ job is to help Antonelli develop and that he anticipates mistakes. And the driver is aware of the responsibility, who crashed severely during his second flying lap during the Italian Grand Prix last year.
He states, “I want to have a clean run, nice rhythm, consistent.” However, the attitude will remain the same: “Be on track, win, try as quickly as possible, and try to get the best result possible.”
Not just because of his talent, Antonelli has excelled. His name is also present.
He is known in F1 as “Kimi,” probably because of how obviously significant a fan his middle name is.
Although the family has a motorsport background, Antonelli claims to be not named after Finnish champion Kimi Raikkonen, who won the 2007 World Championship.
He says, “Basically, my parents wanted to give me a second name that would work with both my first and last names, but they didn’t want a second Italian name.” They desired a unique outcome.
Enrico Bertaggia, our very close friend, has a racing background. Between 1989 and 1992, Bertaggia won eight Grand Prix for back-of-the-grid teams. He chose to give me the name Kimi. Yes, it sounds fantastic, my parents said. And I was given that name.
Antonelli claims that he is aware that his real first name is Kimi, and that he is aware of this.
He claims that it is more natural. It is brief and nice. It is such a recognizable name, especially in the racing industry.
My closest and best friends all refer to me as Andrea. also my family.
The two will share the same grid this year because it was born five years after Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001.
It’s a privilege to share the F1 grid with Hamilton and Alonso, according to Antonelli.
And Antonelli has other historical resonances. He claims that Ayrton Senna, a three-time world champion, was his hero growing up, and that Antonelli’s appearance hints at the legendary Brazilian.
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