“In terms of style it is similar to mine” : Kimi Antonelli believes that him and Lewis Hamilton have the same driving style
With Lewis Hamilton on the exit ramp for Mercedes, it is time for Andrea Kimi Antonelli to take up his mantle. You would think that when the Briton announced his transfer to Ferrari, Team Principal Toto Wolff would do everything in his power to replace the legend with a star signing. While he admitted that he wanted Max Verstappen initially, it is believed that even Wolff knew that Lewis Hamilton could never be ‘replaced’.
In came Kimi Antonelli, who has been rising through the junior rankings, and now at the age of 18 will be the third youngest driver to debut in Formula 1. Well, the main issue does not arrive from his age, or even his inexperience, but who he is replacing; a seven-time world champion.
While Toto Wolff believes that the Italian is the “perfect choice to start the team’s next chapter”, some fans and even analysts claim that this move is too soon for comfort. The 18-year-old knows that stepping into the great Lewis Hamilton’s shoes is almost an impossible task, but he is determined to start off his own fresh chapter regardless.
Kimi Antonelli talks about Lewis Hamilton, Monza crash, and relationship with George Russell
In a recent interview with Gazzetta, the Italian covered a variety of topics. In addition to having similar driving style, he revealed how Hamilton tries to remain in contact with him and helps him understand important information.
“He’s very kind and talks to me a lot. And in terms of style it is similar to mine, with the car having a lot of understeer. I was in Singapore and listening to him talk to the engineers I learned a lot.” said Antonelli.
“What I’ll have to get used to is hearing all the engineers on headphones, because I’m someone who doesn’t speak much. But if they speak it’s to give useful information, I’ll have to learn the procedures well. If you touch a wrong button it’s a mess. A seat with a steering wheel will soon arrive at my house to learn the departures and the various procedures. Also, because you have to know where each button is without having to look.” the Italian added.
Antonelli also talked about the tests he had to participate in which landed him at Mercedes, and revealed that his pace was the main factor behind it.
“The great speed I had right away. I struggled at the beginning with the race pace, but after a test in Spa they saw a clear step forward and were convinced. And two days later the call came that they were taking me for 2025. Today in F1 you have a lot of data to look at, there is live telemetry and they can tell you what to do, but they let me do a lot. At Spa I did a great test where I learned to anticipate tyre degradation.” the 18-year-old revealed.
Addressing his very first laps in the F1 weekend in Monza, where his infamous crash made him end the run early, the Italian said that he has two more opportunities in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. He also talked about his relationship with George Russell, who was not the happiest after his future teammate’s crash. The youngster would like to go head-to-head with him next year.
“That first lap was a unique emotion with all those people in the stands, then I got… naughty. Now I will have two more opportunities in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.” said Antonelli.
“Russell? He wasn’t very happy, but before going out to the Parabolica I had gone fast. I have a good relationship with George, he hasn’t given me great advice, but for now everything is fine. But next year I want to beat him.” The youngster added.
With Mercedes and Toto Wolff backing him and George Russell being a more than capable mentor for Kimi Antonelli, things look set for his debut season next year, as the F1 and especially the Silver Arrows fans are waiting for the youngster’s debut, which will mark a new era for the German team.
