Toto Wolff expands on Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s progress and promotion to F2 in 2024, while giving him time as well.
It is not often that Mercedes fast tracks its juniors by skipping championships but with Kimi Antonelli, they have taken the step where the Italian will compete in F2 with Prema in 2024 after racing with them in Formula Regional European Championship.
Having had a solid karting career, Kimi Antonelli won the Italian F4 title along with ADAC German F4 championship in the same year. He followed it up with a win in Formula Regional Middle East Championship in the winter of 2023.
And ended the year with another title in Formula Regional European Championship. Four titles in two years has cemented him as the next big thing and Mercedes has taken the decision to directly put him in F2 rather than wait for a stint in F3.
It is a bold step but one that Mercedes are confident about despite the big jump. “We got Kimi under the wings in 2012,” said Wolff. “And he was a great kid already then. You could see the character, he was strong. We had him in the garage and there was a lot of confidence.
“And then in go-karting his track record was immense, and then you put him in the junior formulas and he wins every single season in his rookie year. But we’ve got to be careful because there’s a lot of hype around Kimi. Putting him into F2 is a big step because those cars are heavier and much more powerful.
“But if we give him his time, and don’t expect him to be killing it in his first season, I think he can be a really great one in this sport. He was 17 in August. This is so young. Yeah, and we get on well, the families and he’s coaching our six-year-old. He’s not taking any advice from me, so with Kimi at least to have some access to describe apexes and exits of corners,” summed up Wolff.
Considering the jump, many expect it to be a two-year programme but the Mercedes camp are taking it slowly and waiting to see how the first year goes. “I think it depends on how it goes,” said Wolff. “It’s new cars, which is an advantage and it all depends on how quick you can be but there’s some tough competitors that get to go into the second season.
“Fred (Ferrari) has one (Bearman) who is highly rated and I think whether it’s a season or two, he needs to demonstrate that he’s ready for a seat in F1. And there’s another step in between; we’ve got to concentrate on F2, nothing else.”
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