Kimi Antonelli has given an insight into his targets for his debut season with Mercedes, with the Italian stating that he will be “trying to win” whilst also remaining realistic about the learning curve he will be embarking on.
Antonelli is one of a new batch of rookies set to line up on the grid when the season gets underway in Australia on March 14-16 as he graduates from his first campaign in Formula 2, marking the latest step on his rapid trajectory through the ranks.
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Speaking to Sky Sports F1 at the Autosport Awards in London, the 18-year-old shed light on the goals he will be setting himself for his first year in F1 in which he will become George Russell’s new team mate following the departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari.
“I’m going to go with the mind[set] of trying to win, but of course you have to be realistic at the same time,” Antonelli explained of his approach. “I just joined the grid, I’m in a good team – I’m in a great team, I’m with Mercedes and I’m really grateful for the opportunity I got.
“But of course I will need to learn, I will try to make the least amount of mistakes, try to learn race by race and then also [try to be] achieving some great results, especially if the speed is there.
Antonelli is aiming to learn as much as possible during his debut F1 season with Mercedes
“I’m going to try also to learn a lot from my team mate, George. He’s a really good driver and he has shown especially last year what he’s capable of. I’m going to try to learn as much as possible and then we’ll see what we can do.”
Antonelli is the first Italian driver to race for a leading team in many years, and the youngster is expecting a special atmosphere when Formula 1 visits Monza in September given his arrival alongside Hamilton’s headline Ferrari switch.
“It’s a bit weird because it’s a bit controversial that an Italian driver is going to Mercedes and an English driver is going to Ferrari!” Antonelli joked.
“But I’m super happy with the position I am [in], and of course there’s a lot of hype around because [there’s] another new Italian on the grid, and then of course such a figure like Lewis joining Ferrari is an incredible thing. I think during the Italian Grand Prix there is going to be a lot of excitement around.”
But before the season gets underway, one important job that Antonelli has ticked off his list was passing his driving test, something that came as a relief to the youngster.
Since taking part in the 2024 end of season test in Abu Dhabi for Mercedes, Antonelli has ticked off another achievement by passing his driving test
“I just did a little mistake on the theory, one mistake, but overall it went pretty well,” he explained. “I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous.
“I was really scared because I knew I had only that shot to do it, because otherwise once the season starts I don’t really have time to make it again, so I was telling myself that I really had to do it. Eventually it went well so it was a big relief.”
Team Principal Toto Wolff, meanwhile, believes that Antonelli is well prepared for his F1 debut, having long been under the Silver Arrows’ wing as a junior driver.
“He’s been in the team, integrated for such a long time,” Wolff commented. «We’ve known him since he was 11, and in that respect, he’s been prepared, he’s ready to go and he can’t wait.»
Antonelli does not have long to wait until his season begins, with the teenager set to join the rest of the grid at the F1 75 Live season launch event to be held at London’s The O2 on February 18 before Mercedes unveil their new challenger – the W16 – to the world on February 24, just a few days before pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 26-28.
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