Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team, thinks that 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli has what it takes to be a “great” in Formula 1.
The young Italian, who is a member of Mercedes’ young driver program, is scheduled to participate in Formula 2 with the PREMA Racing squad in 2024 after winning the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023.
In addition, he proposed that the Italian follow George Russell’s lead and play for Williams for a few seasons until Hamilton is ready to step down.
Antonelli’s advancement in racing
Due to his outstanding accomplishments, Antonelli has already bypassed F3 entirely and is racing in F2, with Oliver Bearman, the British prodigy.
Wolff has expressed cautious optimism on Antonelli’s development in order to save the rookie driver too much stress.
“In his rookie year, he won every season in the junior formulas, building on his already impressive track record in karting,” the Austrian told Speedweek.
“But with all the excitement around Kimi, we need to exercise caution. It’s a significant step to get him into Formula Two since these vehicles are much more powerful and heavier.
“I believe he can become a great in this sport if we give him time and don’t expect him to surpass everything in his first season.”
“We’ll see how Formula 2 plays out. He benefits from the fact that they have brand-new vehicles there. However, numerous excellent and well regarded athletes are competing in their second Formula 2 season this year.
“He needs to demonstrate that he’s prepared for a Formula 1 seat. First and foremost, we must focus solely on Formula 2.
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