Next weekend, we’ll see Andrea Kimi Antonelli on track at Monza during the FP1 session of the Italian Grand Prix—an absolute debut for the nearly 18-year-old from Bologna
The young Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is on the brink of his official Formula 1 debut with Mercedes. During the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Antonelli will have the opportunity to drive the W15 in the first free practice session (FP1), scheduled for Friday at 1:30 PM.
After completing a series of preparatory tests with the W13 and W14 cars, the 2006-born Bologna native now has a great opportunity to debut in front of his home crowd. As reported by motorsport.com, the Prema talent will be sitting in Lewis Hamilton’s seat.
Mercedes has long had big plans for Antonelli, and his debut at Monza will just be the beginning. During the Italian weekend, the Brackley team is expected to officially announce that the young talent will replace Lewis Hamilton as a full-time driver starting from 2025, alongside George Russell.
The Bono-Kimi Pair is Born. And Hamilton…
In the garage, the young driver will be assisted by Peter Bonnington, Hamilton’s longtime engineer, who has already clicked with the young Italian during tests at Spa-Francorchamps. “Bono” has just renewed his contract with Toto Wolff’s team, leaving the seven-time champion searching for a new engineer.
Antonelli has already completed the seat fitting for the W15 and, having been involved in simulator work at Brackley, is ready to introduce himself to the wider public. It is also possible that Mercedes might offer him further testing opportunities during the season to help him acclimate to Formula 1. Each team is required to give rookies at least two free practice sessions, and Antonelli could likely be back on track in Abu Dhabi.
Photo: Prema Team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
