'The new Verstappen' to succeed Hamilton at Mercedes: logical?

Right from the start, Andrea Kimi Antonelli knew the eyes were on him on Sunday. During the very first day of Formula 2 testing in Bahrain, the Italian set the fifth fastest time; ahead of his teammate Oliver Bearman, among others. The latter is predicted to have a golden future and is now one of Ferrari's reserve drivers. But at Prema Racing's F2 team, Antonelli, barely four tenths off number one Dennis Hauger, was too fast for him.

A day later, Antonelli was again a fraction faster than Bearman in the second session, only in the afternoon session the Briton was the better driver. Why these are special performances from Antonelli? Last season, the Italian was still racing in FRECA, say the fourth level in motorsport. In that, he was so good that Mercedes decided to let him skip a year in F3 and transfer Antonelli directly to F2.

Antonelli adapted immediately

After a test in Abu Dhabi in late 2023, the first metres Antonelli drove in an F2 car were in Bahrain and he immediately showed his tremendous, natural speed. Formula 2 kicks off the season with a new generation of cars, so conditions were new and similar for all drivers. Probing how and what, Antonelli managed to master his Prema immediately and quickly. Something only the very best can do: whatever type of car it is, be blazing fast with it.

'The new Max Verstappen' Antonelli is already being called. Verstappen also quickly climbed up the international motorsport ladder, making his first metres in a Formula 1 weekend at the age of 16. We are not going to see Antonelli at work in Formula 1 before he is eighteen anyway, because after Verstappen's entry, the rules were changed. Only drivers aged eighteen and above are eligible for a Super Licence. Incidentally, through his championships in Formula 4 and two in FRECA, Antonelli has already accumulated enough points to apply for the Superlicence on his eighteenth birthday.

Antonelli successor to Hamilton?

Once the 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off, the Italian will be old enough to start a Grand Prix. There are sounds that Mercedes sees him as the leading candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton. It would be a very bold move by Toto Wolff and his ilk. The Austrian reportedly wants to avoid making the same mistake as a decade ago, when he let Verstappen walk away. The latter eventually moved to Red Bull Racing, which did give him a place in F1 at a young age.

If Antonelli proves in the first months of the F2 season to be top in this class too, an entry into Formula 1 would make perfect sense. After all, why wait if someone is good enough. Yes, in that case Antonelli is going to make mistakes, is going to crash his car. So did Verstappen. But the experiences he gains so quickly in his career then are priceless. Given his current learning curve, it does not have to be long before Antonelli - provided the Mercedes is capable - can compete for wins.

Antonelli lacks midfield experience

There is also a downside to immediately joining a top team. George Russell started as a Mercedes junior at Williams, learning to deal with midfield and rear-end racing. Now that is different from racing at the front (Valtteri Bottas knows all about that). The experience of, say, a year at Williams could serve Antonelli well on days when the Mercedes qualifies in the midfield for once.

For F1 fans, at least, it would be great. The sport - looking at the ages - has a lot of youngsters driving around. But the likes of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have been competing for many years. Adding an exciting talent like Andrea Kimi Antonelli could shake up F1. As Verstappen, Norris and consorts managed to do themselves some years back.