Saturday morning in Monza began with Mercedes announcing the signing of Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025. The young Italian driver will replace Lewis Hamilton at the team, but Kimi himself does not want to be seen as a replacement for the seven-time world champion.
“I don’t think it’s possible to replace Lewis Hamilton,” Kimi Antonelli told the press. “He’s a great figure in our sport and has achieved a lot of success in his career. I don’t want to be seen as his replacement.
“I’m just the next driver to drive for Mercedes in 2025 and I’m really happy about that. Lewis is great and he’s really given me some support, which I’m really happy about.”
At the very beginning of Friday’s practice, Antonelli crashed his car. Asked if he would be able to handle the pressure and attention next year, Kimi replied: “Next year, one of the determining factors will be that I am at Mercedes and that the team really believes in me. They believed in me from a young age, I felt it and it helped me to handle the pressure well.
Yes, sometimes I don’t always succeed, but I always feel the support of Mercedes and my family. I am very happy that they offer me this. Not only in the past, but also now.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
