Mercedes has reportedly chosen Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, according to the Italian publication Autosprint. The official announcement is expected to be made during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza later this month.
When news broke in February that Hamilton would leave Mercedes to join Ferrari, speculation quickly turned to Antonelli as a potential successor.
Mercedes have reportedly signed Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for 2025.https://t.co/AyqgCFD3dC
An announcement is expected at next month’s Italian Grand Prix.#F1 #Mercedes #LewisHamilton #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/ZgnVR24grr
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 8, 2024
Currently, the 17-year-old Italian is in his debut Formula 2 season, where he has already secured two victories—one in a wet sprint race at Silverstone and another in the main race in Hungary. In addition to his Formula 2 commitments, Antonelli has been participating in a testing program with older Mercedes cars, impressing the team’s leadership and earning him the seat for 2025.
Antonelli has been a part of the Mercedes junior team since 2018. He began his single-seater racing career in 2021, competing in Formula 4 championships in Italy, Central Europe, and the United Arab Emirates. His first significant successes came in 2022 when he won the Formula 4 titles in both Italy and Germany. In 2023, he continued his rise by winning the Formula Regional Europe and Middle East championships, which allowed him to skip Formula 3 and move directly to Formula 2.