Lewis Hamilton praises Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes F1 decision looms

Speaking at the Italian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton praised the young driver who might replace him at Mercedes

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the young phenom rocketing through the single-seater ranks, is set to participate in a Formula 1 weekend for the first time. Antonelli will be behind the wheel of the W15 on Friday, driving for Mercedes in place of George Russell at the Italian Grand Prix.

Will an announcement of his promotion to a full-time seat on the grid for next season follow?

Ever since Lewis Hamilton rocked the F1 world with his stunning pre-season announcement that he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the 2024 campaign, speculation grew regarding who would replace him. While there was discussion of a similarly shocking move to poach Max Verstappen from Red Bull, in recent months the speculation has centered on Antonelli. The Italian driver, who just turned 18 last weekend, made the jump to F2 this season, skipping F2 altogether. While his season with Prema got off to a shaky start Antonelli has found his form, notching a pair of victories.

Speaking at the FIA Press Conference on Thursday ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, the living legend he may be replacing sang his praises.

“I said a long time ago that I think that’s who the team should choose moving forwards. And time will tell what they end up deciding to do. No, he’s one of those young, super-talented kids that’s come through. I mean, he’s a young adult now. But, yeah, he’s only 18. So I think... I think it’d be good for people just to remember he is just turning 18, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

“And yeah, I’m really excited to see and watch his progress. I saw a picture earlier on of us, back in, I think, 2018, and he was one of the grid kids! And I’m like shaking his hand at the front of the grid! So it obviously reminds you how old you are when you have those experiences,” continued Hamilton. “But yeah, looking forward to seeing his growth and his journey through into Formula 1.”

Hamilton even compared Antonelli’s rise — and a potential full-time seat next season — to his rise at McLaren.

“We’ve been watching him through the different formulas and naturally he’s a Mercedes driver. I just think we are starting to see a lot younger drivers coming through and I think we’re just in that time, where there’s only 20 seats and I think it’s time. We’re starting to see this new wave come through,” described Hamilton. “In terms of taking on another driver that’s had many, many years of experience as opposed to giving an opportunity to a youngster.

“That’s what McLaren did for me and it worked out well. In my opinion, it’s just an opportunity for him to grow. He’s going to get to work… He would get to work with the best in class, learn from people that I’ve worked with for so many, many years,” continued Hamilton. “But it is a lot of weight on someone’s shoulders. But as I said, it’s a great environment that I think they would just be able to nurture him and carry him through it. But there are other really good options. So you’d have to ask Toto [Wolff] which one he’s leaning towards.”

Mercedes is coming off a difficult weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. The team’s streak of six straight podium finishes came to an end, with Hamilton finishing eighth and Russell finishing seventh. The seven-time champion described the current state of the W15 as being on a “knife’s edge,” mirroring language he used back at the Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton believes that too is something Antonelli can help with when he makes his FP1 debut tomorrow.

“It’s definitely always good having more input,” began Hamilton. “Yeah, I think for Kimi tomorrow, I think it’s just about enjoying yourself and having fun. This is going to be an amazing experience for him tomorrow. He’s obviously already tested the old car, but tomorrow is going to be the first time he’s, I believe, tested the new car, which is so much nicer than the 2022 car.

“So he’s going to be all smiles tomorrow for sure. It’s a drastic difference. And yeah, the more information and the more input we get, the better. So I don’t know what to expect, what he’s going to come back with, but we’ll definitely take it in.”