There’s an awful lot of attention on Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the moment.
Very few youngsters are under the microscope as much as the Italian 17-year-old during their debut Formula 2 campaign.
However, the F1 driver market is in flux this season and could hand the teenager a chance to drive for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in 2025.
Speaking on Mercedes’s official YouTube channel, Antonelli was among a trio of drivers taking part in the Q+A session.
Kimi Antonelli was joined by junior driver Alex Powell and F1 Academy star Doriane Pin.
All three drivers were asked who their racing heroes were and Antonelli gave an answer many other racers on the grid would give as well: Ayrton Senna.
The Brazilian is the idol of so many drivers for a multitude of reasons and sadly died before he was able to add to his three world championships.
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Mercedes rising star Kimi Antonelli names Ayrton Senna as his racing idol
Ayrton Senna da Silva began his Formula 1 career with Toleman in 1984 and despite the British team typically finding themselves in the midfield or towards the back of the grid, Senna managed to secure three podiums in his debut year.
That earned Senna a move to Lotus and he spent three seasons with the team before finally being signed by McLaren where he created his legacy.
Senna won the 1988, 1990 and 1991 F1 world championships with McLaren defeating the likes of Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell.
It was a phenomenal feat and cemented his legacy as one of Formula 1’s greatest-ever drivers.
He’s been named by Max Verstappen as one of his top five F1 drivers of all time and was the king of Monaco, notoriously one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar to master.
Antonelli may have named Senna as his racing idol for his speed, but his character was also admired.
Eddie Jordan offered Senna half of his F1 team to sign for him as he was so desperate to work alongside the Brazilian.
On the day he was killed at Imola, an Austrian flag was found in his cockpit so that he could honour Roland Ratzenberger who had died the day before in qualifying.
The Brazilian superstar is a very appropriate driver for Antonelli to look up to.
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Kimi Antonelli preparing to create his own Formula 1 legacy
Asked who his racing idol was, Antonelli simply said: “My racing idol was and is still Ayrton Senna.”
There are high hopes for Antonelli within the Mercedes camp although they’re unlikely to be expecting him to reach the levels of Senna any time soon.
He’s dominated every junior category he’s raced in and it’s no wonder that he’s made the immediate jump from FRECA to F2 this year.
He’s only 17 which previously prevented him from obtaining the correct FIA Super License to race in F1.
That rule has since been changed which could pave the way for him to appear in a practice session sooner rather than later.
Antonelli may go one better than that with Logan Sargeant’s Williams future hanging in the balance.
It wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see the American potentially replaced midway through the campaign to give Antonelli some much-needed experience before stepping into Lewis Hamilton’s seat in 2025.
The post ‘My idol’: Mercedes hopeful Kimi Antonelli now names triple F1 world champion as his racing hero appeared first on F1 Oversteer.