Andrea Kimi Antonelli will possibly replace Sir Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes once he leaves for the Prancing Horse next year. Early this year, the seven-time champion shocked the Formula 1 world when he announced his departure from the Silver Arrows. Fans thought the great Briton would finish his career at the German outfit. After all, he has been part of that team since 2013. He changed the status of that team in the turbo-hybrid era. Previously, the Brackley team did not look worthy to win championships. However, when he joined the Mercedes team, everything in the grid changed.
The German team dethroned the Red Bull team as the most dominant team in the F1 grid. For eight straight years, there was only one team that won every constructor title between 2014 and 2021; it was Toto Wolff’s team. But then, it had a shocking downfall in 2022. Red Bull got back on top again, thanks to the Dutch driver Max Verstappen. This Dutchman has been the youngest driver to make his F1 debut. When he was 17 years, 5 months, and 15 days, Verstappen debuted in F1 back in 2015. Lately, Mercedes can follow the footsteps of their rivals to let another young driver make his F1 debut.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli Can Replace Lewis Hamilton At F1 Practice In Monza
According to Autox.com, Toto Wolff confirmed during the recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix that Antonelli will make his F1 Practice debut in Monza, Italy. On Friday, the F1 teams will have their practice session in Monza. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will take the wheels of the W15 car then. For that weekend, the Italian prodigy might replace the seven-time champion. Lately, Wolff clarified that rumors of Mercedes trading Antonelli to another team as a potential loan is ‘Untrue.’ It will retain the Italian racer’s development within its program. Kimi Antonelli has gained extensive experience in older F1 cars of Mercedes. Hence, he is a strong candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton to be George Russell’s new teammate in the future.
This opportunity to make his practice debut in F1 is crucial because it will provide Antonelli with invaluable experience of riding the latest Formula 1 machinery. Moreover, it will be a good test for him to show his abilities against the top F1 drivers. Also, it is a pretty memorable homecoming for the young Italian prodigy as he hails from Bologna. Getting the home advantage in his F1 practice debut makes the whole thing a little bit more interesting and exciting to see. Now, can he live up to the expectations is something everybody will have to wait to know.
Mercedes Must Come Up With New Plans To Take The Fight To Red Bull And McLaren
Lately, Mercedes has had a terrible time racing in the Netherlands. George Russell finished seventh, and Lewis Hamilton finished right behind his teammate. In the post-race interview, Toto Wolff mentioned that the team back in the Brackley factory will have to go through a bit of a “Head-scratching” phase. They are not sure why the W15 car did not work at the Zandvoort circuit. Hence, they will be keen on making some changes.
How big will be the difference when Andrea Kimi Antonelli replaces Lewis Hamilton will be a thing to see as well in Monza, Italy. Moreover, Mercedes was also in talks with Max Verstappen about replacing Hamilton next season, as per rumors. But that has not been fruitful as expected because of his contract with Red Bull that might make him stay there as long as 2026.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.