He’s been defined by being Lewis Hamilton’s successor and George Russell’s teammate. Now Kimi Antonelli is a Formula 1 race-winner in his own right, and the second-youngest in history.
The 19-year-old Italian pulled clear of an entertaining battle between Russell and the two Ferraris to take a commanding win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and share the podium with his teammate and Hamilton, the seven-time champion he replaced last year.
It’s a vindication of the gamble Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took in picking the youngster, who’d joined Mercedes’ junior program aged just 11, to replace an all-time great when Hamilton moved to Ferrari for 2025. There were plenty of doubters when Antonelli crashed 10 minutes into his practice debut in 2024.
“Many said it was just too early last year, and obviously we asked ourselves that question, whether it was too much to throw him into this pressure cooker,” Wolff told Sky Sport Germany.
“One year with ups and downs and he’s young.​He’s been defined by being Lewis Hamilton’s successor and George Russell’s teammate. Now Kimi Antonelli is a Formula 1 race-winner in his own right, and the second-youngest in history.
The 19-year-old Italian pulled clear of an entertaining battle between Russell and the two Ferraris to take a commanding win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and share the podium with his teammate and Hamilton, the seven-time champion he replaced last year.
It’s a vindication of the gamble Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took in picking the youngster, who’d joined Mercedes’ junior program aged just 11, to replace an all-time great when Hamilton moved to Ferrari for 2025. There were plenty of doubters when Antonelli crashed 10 minutes into his practice debut in 2024.
“Many said it was just too early last year, and obviously we asked ourselves that question, whether it was too much to throw him into this pressure cooker,” Wolff told Sky Sport Germany.
“One year with ups and downs and he’s young. ​Latest News [ SOBAN NEWS: International and National ]
