Mercedes embarks on its first season in over a decade without Lewis Hamilton at the helm. The British driver is succeeded by rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Team boss Toto Wolff shares his expectations for the debuting Italian driver.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces a significant challenge as the new Formula 1 season commences. The young Italian succeeds Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, without having first driven for a midfield team. Consequently, team boss Toto Wolff does not expect Antonelli to immediately compete at the top.
“He will only be a prodigy if he truly delivers in Formula 1,” Wolff tells Auto, Motor und Sport. “We hope this will happen sooner rather than later, but certainly not right from the start.”
Nine Thousand Kilometers
The Italian driver is not entirely unprepared for his Formula 1 adventure. Wolff reveals that Antonelli has already tested for nine thousand kilometers. The Austrian team boss does not believe this will immediately translate into good results during the races. A standard race distance in Formula 1 averages 305 kilometers, meaning the Italian driver has already covered 29.5 race distances with Mercedes.
“If we approach it in the sense that the boy is eighteen years old, very talented, but naturally needs to grow into it and will make mistakes along the way, then the risk is limited,” Wolff continues. “We see 2025 as a transition year and want to prepare him for 2026, when everything starts from scratch for everyone.”
