Kimi Antonelli, the potential alternative for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes subsequent season, has made his F1 testing debut.
The Italian, at present ninth within the F2 standings, having bypassed F3 after successful the Formulation Regional European (FRECA) and Formulation Regional Center East Championships in 2023 and the Italian and German F4 championships in 2022, was behind the wheel of the 2021 W12 in Austria.
“It has been an unimaginable expertise, it was actually nice to really feel the ability and downforce” he mentioned following the check. “I cherished each second of it. It was actually good enjoyable and I need to thank all of the group for all their laborious work.
The check was carried out as a part of the German group’s heritage programme, which each maintains and runs earlier vehicles in readiness to be used in marketing-related actions.
“We did some sim work and ran via some vital issues forward of the day,” added Antonelli. “That was actually helpful as a result of as soon as I used to be out on monitor, I knew what the group was telling me on the radio.”
After two days and 500km within the Styrian hills, his focus now turns again to F2, during which early season highlights have included a P2 in qualifying in Australia and a P4 end within the race.
“I’ve realized rather a lot in these two days, issues which might be actually useful after I return to F2,” he mentioned. “However I must preserve working, and preserve enhancing too.”
Antonelli has been a member of Mercedes junior programme since 2019 and at Suzuka Toto Wolff admitted that he’s into account for the 2025 seat alongside George Russell.
“What we’ve accomplished is added extra days,” mentioned Wolff by way of his check programme, “however what you will note within the subsequent few months has been in place, whether or not or not he’ll sit in a Formulation 1 automotive subsequent 12 months.
“We’ll do a couple of of as of late for him to get snug in an F1 automotive. We need to give him a sense what a very good automotive looks like earlier than we put him within the ’22.
“Clearly, he is been our younger boy since a very long time, with James, and we’re eager to see what he is in a position to do in a Formulation 1 automotive. Ollie Bearman was refreshing to take a look at how aggressive he was in Saudi Arabia. No free observe, excessive pace, difficult monitor, and he was proper up there. So Kimi could be doing simply nice.”
Image Credit score: Mercedes/X
