F1 News
Antonelli gets special gift by Mercedes ahead of making the next step
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his full-time Formula One debut in 2025 at Mercedes after the Italian was promoted to replace the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The team will also give George Russell's next teammate a 'gift' to help him better prepare for the upcoming Formula One season.
After there were no driver changes announced ahead of the current 2024 F1 season, there will be a few rookies on the grid next season. Oliver Bearman (with two Grands Prix as a substitute under his belt), Jack Doohan and also Andrea Kimi Antonelli will all begin their journeys as full-time F1 drivers at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
Antonelli could already sit in a car in Monza during the Italian GP's FP1 session. However after some good initial laps, after 10 minutes, he lost his car in Parabolica causing a red flag. He could not do the practice starts at the end of the session.
Antonelli receives special tools for his home
His team, Mercedes are also giving the youngster some gifts to help him prepare better, alongside the Italian driving in two more FP1 sessions with their current car in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. "Mercedes are going to send me a steering wheel and a small simulator at home to learn how to do the race starts, so I will be able to practise. The steering wheel is the Formula 1 steering wheel, so it will help me memorise the buttons as well. At high speeds you don't have time to look at the steering wheel. You have to know it by heart," the youngster explained at the Festival dello Sport event.
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