Antonelli admits: 'Not correct to say I'm Hamilton's replacement'
Mercedes AMG-Petronas F1 Team
F1 News
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will take over Lewis Hamilton’s coveted seat at Mercedes in 2025, admitting that he prefers not to be labelled as the seven-time world champion’s "replacement." Instead, he sees himself as simply "the next Mercedes driver," emphasising his own path.
Antonelli feels like 'Just another Mercedes driver'
Hamilton may have swapped Mercedes for Ferrari, but as far as Antonelli is concerned, the 40-year-old Briton is irreplaceable. "I feel like I am just a new Mercedes driver. Of course, saying that I am replacing Lewis Hamilton… I don’t think it’s really correct,” Antonelli said in a conversation with Sky Sports.
“He’s such a big figure in the sport, and he’s done so much. I feel like I am just the next Mercedes driver and really want to make my way and try to achieve great results,” the 18-year-old added.
Antonelli is seen as the Mercedes 'prodigy'. Team boss Toto Wolff has already tried to adjust expectations somewhat to not put too much pressure on Antonelli in his debut year. The rookie himself knows that he faces a huge challenge. “It’s not going to be easy because my first year in F1 at the end of the day I am racing against the other 19 best drivers in the world,” he explained.
“Of course, the world of motorsport, Formula 1 especially, can be very brutal sometimes. But you know the thing is I am just going to just try and stay focused on myself.
"Try to work day by day, weekend by weekend and trying to prove myself. The mindset is going to be one of trying to win and then we will see. As I said before, I have good people around me that especially in this moment they really try and help me to ignore the external things to just always be focused on the moment.” The young Italian concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Toby Nixon
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels too!