Kimi Antonelli is racing full-time in Formula 2 this season, but Mercedes are also evaluating him in a private testing programme. Thus far, he’s been very impressive.
Antonelli drove an F1 car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring in Austria last month. Mercedes gave him the chance to test the constructors’ championship-winning 2021 challenger.
Adverse weather limited his running in Spielberg, but there were no such issues in his second test at Imola. Behind the wheel of the 2022 car this time, he set lap times comparable to Lewis Hamilton on his long run.
And he then ‘surprised everyone’ with his performance on a medium-tyre run on day two. It was, according to F1TV presenter Will Buxton, a ‘stunning’ display.
In fact, it prompted Williams to lodge a request to the FIA to run Antonelli in a practice session before his 18th birthday in late August. They’re seeking an exemption to the superlicence rules so they can put him through his paces and decide whether he should replace Logan Sargeant for the second half of the season.
The Italian’s latest test took place at Silverstone, the home of the British GP. Mercedes allowed him to chase lap time to his heart’s content on low fuel and soft tyres.
Kimi Antonelli showed better race pace than George Russell in Mercedes test
Mercedes have tried to keep Antonelli’s Silverstone times secret. They’re aware that releasing that data could put even more pressure on his shoulders.
But according to the print edition of Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via Formula Passion, Antonelli was as fast as potential 2025 teammate George Russell in qualifying trim. Journalist Peter Windsor says Russell would expect to have him for ‘breakfast’ next year, but this may have been a wake-up call.
Remarkably, it’s claimed that Antonelli was even faster than the Grand Prix winner in race pace. Russell tried to extend his stint to improve his pace and keep the teenager in the garage, but Mercedes refused.
Toto Wolff has been weighing up whether Antonelli is ready to replace the departing seven-time world champion Hamilton. If these details are accurate, then any doubts may be removed.
There has already been huge excitement over his potential at Brackley. Ted Kravitz says they see him as the next Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen.
Damon Hill reacts to Oliver Bearman overtake on Kimi Antonelli
Over in F2, all the attention will be on the Prema team. In Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, they boast the two drivers most likely to graduate to F1 next season.
The former could be racing for one of the biggest teams in the sport next year and succeeding its most successful driver. The latter, meanwhile, has already starred for Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Despite the hype around them, Prema currently rank sixth out of 11 teams in the championship. It’s been a tricky year for the Italian team.
Antonelli is the lead driver as it stands, with his 48 points enough for sixth in the championship. Bearman, who missed the races in Jeddah because of his F1 duties, is 13th on 18.
But the Briton got one over his teammate in the Monaco feature race last weekend, executing a sublime ‘switch-back’ overtake at the hairpin. Damon Hill felt their battle was more entertaining than the main Grand Prix.
One journalist has warned Mercedes that Antonelli could be ‘ravaged’ online if they give him a seat and he doesn’t perform next year. But if he’s already out-performing Russell, that may no longer be a concern.
There have been tentative suggestions that the Englishman could be under threat himself for 2026. With Antonelli on the books and Verstappen potentially available, he may face a fight for his seat in a year’s time.
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