Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli rejects Lewis Hamilton’s comparison ahead of the Formula One debut season | F1 news

Mercedes’s replacement by Lewis Hamilton Andrea Kimi Antonelli rejected comparisons with the sevenfold world champion ahead of his Formula One debut campaign.

While Hamilton’s transition to Ferrari is the biggest story in sports that goes to the new season, which begins with the Grand Prix of Australia on March 16th, Mercedes’ decision to insert an 18-year-old in British former headquarters is an extremely intriguing subplot.

The decision, of course, resulted in the fact that Antonelli was associated with Hamilton, who won six titles during the historic 12-year stay.

Speaking Sky Sports While Mercedes launched his new partnership with Adidas last week, Antonelli said, “I feel like I’m just a new Mercedes driver.

“Saying that I replace Lewis Hamilton, I don’t think it’s exactly true because it’s such a big figure in sports and done so much.

“I feel like I’m just the next Mercedes driver and I really want to achieve my way and achieve great results and be successful.”

‘The opinion is to win’

Antonelli considers some – obviously, including important figures in Mercedes – to own a generational level of talent, which means that the team chief Toto Wolff could not risk losing the Italian rival not accelerating him on F1.

Although there is little doubt that Antonelli has an extraordinary speed, there are questions whether he is ready to pressure and supervise that will come with a ride in F1.

“It won’t be easy because my first year in F1, at the end of the day, I race against 19 best drivers in the world,” Antonelli said.

“And of course, the world of motorcycle sports, especially F1, can sometimes be very brutal.

“But the thing is, I just try to stay focused on myself, try to work day by day, weekend to weekend trying to improve.”

After skipping Formula 3, Antonelli has only one Formula 2 season under his belt, but Mercedes put it through a rigorous test program to prepare it for F1.

Despite the lack of experience, Antonelli insists on his goal from the initial round of the 2025 season. In Melbourne, he will win the races.

He added, “Of course, a way of thinking will be that attempt to move and win, and then we will see.

“I have good people around me who, especially in these moments, are really trying to help me neglect all the external things and always focus for a moment.”

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