Andrea Kimi Antonelli like in a dream after his first F1 test: “Great to feel the power”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a fulfilled teenager. While he has only just made his debut in Formula 2, after jumping directly from FRECA where he was crowned in 2023, the Italian has been talking about him a lot in recent weeks. And for good reasons.

Indeed, while Mercedes, of which he is a member of the academy, is looking for the successor of Lewis Hamilton from 2025, the name of the kid from Bologna has often been mentioned. Both by rumors and by Toto wolff himself. For the moment we are still far from a promotion in F1, but the German team in any case wants to start preparing it... just in case.

As announced at the beginning of the month, Andrea Kimi Antonelli took her first trip aboard a Formula 1 car. The action took place on Tuesday and Wednesday on the Red Bull Ring in Austria where the Transalpine driver sat behind the wheel of the W12, the car used during the 2021 season when Mercedes was crowned Manufacturers' champion. In total, AKA completed no less than 500 kilometers as part of the Mercedes heritage program which consists of “ to maintain and operate our old cars for use in marketing-related activities »

Andrea Kimi Antonelli was all smiles. © Mercedes

« It was an incredible experience, he admitted with a big smile at the end of these two days where he was treated to dry conditions but also to a wet track. It was really great to feel the power and downforce. I loved every second of it. I really had fun and I want to thank the whole team for their hard work.

We did some simulations and reviewed important elements beforehand. This was very useful because once on track I knew what the team was saying to me on the radio. I learned a lot during these two days, things which will be very useful to me when I return to F2. But I have to keep working and improving."

Currently engaged in Formula 2 with Prema, Andrea Kimi Antonelli occupies 9^e place in the championship with 24 points.

©Mercedes

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