Kimi Antonelli, bypassing F3, goes straight to Formula 2

Last weekend Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the European Formula Regional title and will continue his career in Formula 2 in 2024, driving for the Prema team.

At the beginning of this year it was announced that the young Italian racer, whom everyone simply calls Kimi, had been accepted into the Mercedes youth program, and now it is confirmed that, in addition to F3, he will immediately enter a more serious category: Formula 2, where the cars are much more powerful and faster.

Antonelli turned 17 only a few months ago, and he already has a very impressive list of achievements, which speaks of real talent: in 2021 he became European karting champion, then switched to open-wheel racing and won titles in 2022 in two championships at the same time – in Italian and German F4. This year he beat all his rivals in the European Formula Regional Championship at the first attempt and is moving to Formula 2.

“I am very happy that I have been given this opportunity. The move from FRegional to F2 is a huge step,” said Antonelli. – I understand that it will not be easy for me, because the level of opponents in this series is very high.

And although the car will be new not only for me, but also for everyone else, serious tests are planned. I don’t want to talk about expectations, I will just try to understand and absorb as much as possible during the tests in preparation for the first race, and also, as always, have fun and perform well.

I am delighted to continue my partnership with Prema as my career in single-seater racing began with this team, which has become my second family. I enjoy working with them.”

Kimi’s partner next year will apparently be Briton Oliver Berman, a student of the Ferrari Racing Academy, who made his debut in F2 this season and has already opened his account of victories.

“Every driver is different, and every young talent needs a different approach,” The Race quotes Gwen Lagrue, responsible for the youth program at Mercedes. – What works in one case may not work in another. But Kimi is a special project, and what we do with him, we only do with him.

We have been working with him for quite some time. We have developed a strong relationship and I think this is a key factor in his progress. He’s seventeen now, but we’ve known each other for five years. He trusts us, he is completely open to constructive criticism. And this is also a quality that distinguishes true champions.

Kimi understands that this helps you become a better person and strives to become better every day. He himself asks us to be as honest with him as possible. And we have to keep working to help him develop.”