Antonelli got shocked by Toto Wolff: 'I couldn't talk'
F1 News
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. The Italian to this day remembers the moment when he was told by team principal that he will get his chance to compete in F1. Ahead of his upcoming rookie season, the youngter also talked about switching off over the break.
After it was announced that Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari, Mercedes needed a driver to pair up with George Russell. The Germans decided to give this opportunity to Antonelli. The Italian could not believe the words he heard when Toto Wolff shared the news with him. "He called me into his office and said ‘are you ready to drive a Formula 1 car?' I could not even speak in that moment," the 18-year-old said in his Mercedes' season preview.
Antonelli's dad to be present at every weekend
After the F1 75 live event at the O2 Arena, Mercedes are set for a filming day in Bahrain on 25 February, as GPblog previously reported. A day later, F1's three-day pre-season testing event will also get underway. At these events, Antonelli can drive the Mercedes car he will make his full-time debut with in Australia mid-March.
The youngster's family will not be able to attend every weekend, but he will have an important person present in his corner all the time. "I had a good time with my family, which is so important to me because I am not going to see them much once the season starts. My dad will come to all the races, but my mum, sister, aunt and grandmother will not be able to do that. So, to rest at home with them and do fun activities together was nice," Antonelli concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Estéban den Toom
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