Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hailed Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli as a “golden boy,” but believes that he will need time to develop in the sport.
The Italian, 18, has been promoted to a race seat this season with the German marque to replace the outgoing Lewis Hamilton, who has chosen to move to Ferrari.
The task of replacing the seven-time F1 champion is bound to be a tough ask, let alone for a teenager who is making his debut in the top flight with a leading team.
Therefore, Domenicali has asserted that Antonelli must be handed the required time to prove his worth, as he partners with George Russell with the Brackley squad.
At an awards ceremony held by Italian motorsport publication Autosprint, Domenicali said: “Kimi is a golden boy.
“He is a great talent, but we have to give him time to prove his qualities. We should not expect him to be at front already on the first lap in Melbourne.
“I hope so for him, but if that does not happen there is time to grow.
“His presence is important for the whole Italian movement.”
Junior success the cornerstone of Antonelli’s meteoric rise
2025 will be only Antonelli’s fourth year racing in single-seater cars, having graduated from karts in 2022.
Antonelli took to car racing like a duck to water, though, winning the Italian F4 and the ADAC Formula 4 championships in the same year.
Following a campaign that comprised another double success in the Formula Regional Middle East and FRECA championships, Antonelli was promoted to F2 for 2024.
Scoring a Sprint win at Silverstone and a Feature win in Hungary, Antonelli eventually finished sixth in the Drivers’ standings, and the rapidity of his climb up the junior ladder was enough to convince Mercedes boss Toto Wolff that he was the right man to replace Hamilton.
Antonelli himself has been part of Mercedes’ Junior programme since the age of 12, enabling boss Toto Wolff to oversee his progress, and the trajectory of his nascent steps into motorsport is one the Austrian sees similarly to that of Hamilton, who made his F1 debut with McLaren after years of being contracted to its books.
“I think the project that inspired me more is the one that is more similar to Hamilton’s career,” Wolff told Autosprint.
“His growth in the junior categories and his impact in Formula 1 came at a time when you could test a lot more than Kimi has been able to do now.
“Ron [Dennis, McLaren boss] at the time said Lewis needed to take it easy to get used to F1, also because Alonso was at McLaren.
“However, that never happened. Lewis was immediately competitive and a success.
“With the current preparation, Kimi can jump into our car and be competitive.
“However, F1 now is a different animal than it was at the time of Hamilton’s debut. There are a lot more dimensions and facets compared to the past.
“There is more pressure and social media, so I think it is important to keep everything moving in the right direction, keep the right priorities and avoid what is not essential.
“The goal is to create a new success story as happened with Hamilton.”
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