Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the name being linked with Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes seat. The seven-time world champion is leaving the Silver Arrows at the end of the season for Ferrari, leaving a big hole at the German outfit. Toto Wolff has been open about promoting the young Italian to F1, and Antonelli has revealed more about his relationship with Wolff.
'Looks for a way to give me confidence'
Antonelli has been part of the Mercedes Junior Team since 2019. His rise has been similar to Max Verstappen's. Verstappen was promoted straight from F3 to Formula 1, whilst Antonelli jumped straight from Formula Regional to Formula 2. One of his biggest supporters during this time has been Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, and Antonelli opened up on their relationship during an interview with Autosport.
"I am very happy with the relationship I have [with Wolff]. In difficult moments I ask him for advice and he always looks for a way to give me confidence. I'll give you an example. After the disappointing qualifying in Silverstone, I called him because it was a bit of a tough time. We talked a lot and that conversation gave me back my confidence, and the next day I won and it was really nice to see him under the podium."
Antonelli currently sits seventh in the F2 drivers standings, ahead of his teammate and 2025 Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman. The Italian took his first victory in the series in Silverstone during the sprint race, before taking his maiden feature win in Hungary. Antonelli admitted that despite rumours linking him to Hamilton's seat, that isn't is focus at the moment.
"I'm very happy to be considered, but I'm not asking for anything," he admitted. "At the moment my goal is to do well in Formula 2, then we'll see. I still see it as a dream. Yes, I did happen to think about it, but it is a passing thought."
