Lewis Hamilton replacement Kimi Antonelli passes driving test just weeks before F1 debut
Lewis Hamilton replacement Kimi Antonelli passes driving test just weeks before F1 debut
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He'll soon be in control of one of the world's most powerful racing machines, and yet young Kimi Antonelli has only just passed his road driving test. Mercedes already trust the talented teenager enough to put him in the cockpit of their multi-million-pound racing cars, replacing Lewis Hamilton. But up until this week the 18-year-old couldn't have even driven a 1ltr hatchback on the road.
But that has now changed. In a post on his social media accounts, Antonelli confirmed that he has now passed his driving test in his native Italy with a photo of himself with a thumb up to the camera and smiling while behind the wheel of a road car. In the caption, Antonelli joked that it was "mission completed" ahead of his maiden season as one of only 20 F1 drivers on the planet. There has been plenty of hype around him over the last 12 months, given his rapid rise to stardom.
The young Italian was so successful in lower single-seater categories that he skipped Formula 3 altogether and was placed in a competitive Prema Racing Formula 2 season last season. Aware that Hamilton's future with the team was finite, Mercedes wanted to prepare their brightest young talent for promotion to F1.
It came earlier than expected, when Hamilton confirmed last February that he had agreed to join Ferrari for the 2025 season. Team principal Toto Wolff made an ambitious public play to try to convince Max Verstappen to join his team but, as soon as he realised the Dutchman wasn't going to quit Red Bull, he turned to Antonelli.
