Kimi Antonelli will race for the points alongside George Russell in Formula 1 for Mercedes next season. In advance he can take part in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Formula 1 racing team Mercedes lets its soon-to-be regular driver Kimi Antonelli off the leash in the first training session for the Mexican Grand Prix (Friday, 8:30 p.m.). “I’m looking forward to driving in FP1 and doing my part to help the team get a good start to the weekend,” the young Italian was quoted as saying in a statement from the team.
For the 18-year-old, the 4.3 kilometer long Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City is completely new territory. The youngster’s training trip should also be valuable with a view to the coming season.
“It’s a new course for me and I’ve worked hard to prepare for it. The altitude makes it unique, I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Antonelli, who also thanked the Mercedes bosses for the “opportunity”. “We look forward to seeing how Kimi continues his development on the track in Mexico,” said team boss Toto Wolf.
Antonelli’s second appearance in Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton, whose career with the Silver Arrows is gradually coming to an end, will not be in the car in the first training session. The Brit will join Ferrari at the end of the season. In Monza, Kimi Antonelli had already gained experience in Russell’s car.
It will be Antonelli’s first appearance since he was officially announced as Hamilton’s successor for the 2025 season. This is another reason why special attention should be paid to his training performance on Friday.
The fact that the motorsport talent sits in the cockpit at all has to do with the FIA regulations. Every Formula 1 driver must miss one training session per season to make way for a young driver who has fewer than two Grand Prix starts under their belt. In the coming season, the regular drivers will have to watch twice each, the FIA recently announced.
Source: www.sport.de
