Lewis Hamilton's teenage Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli passes his driving test just WEEKS before Formula One debut
Lewis Hamilton's teenage Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli passes his driving test just WEEKS before Formula One debut
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Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes has proven he at least has some competence behind the wheel - by passing his driving test. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18, is officially road-ready after completing the rite of passage in Italy. He now looks ahead to March, when he faces the daunting test of stepping into the helmet of seven-time Drivers' World Champion Hamilton with the Silver Arrows.
![[The Italian will partner George Russell for the forthcoming season, making his debut in March]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/28/16/94602757-0-image-a-3_1738082593192.jpg)
Should he win any of his first three races in Australia, China, or Japan, he will break Max Verstappen's record and become the youngest-ever F1 Grand Prix winner. And in some sense he is further developed than Verstappen was when he debuted aged 17 years and 166 days in 2015, because the Dutchman did not have a regular driving licence then.
![[Hamilton has departed for Ferrari after winning seven Drivers' Championships with Mercedes]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/28/16/94602789-0-image-a-4_1738082618226.jpg)
'Mission completed,' Antonelli posted on Instagram with two laughing face emojis - perhaps to the relief of Toto Wolff. Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, has passed his driving test aged 18. The Italian will partner George Russell for the forthcoming season, making his debut in March.
Hamilton has departed for Ferrari after winning seven Drivers' Championships with Mercedes. Antonelli comes with a good reputation from the lower formulas, having finished sixth in F1 last season, picking up two race wins in the latter half of the campaign.
He will partner George Russell as Mercedes look to build on a disappointing season which saw them come a distant fourth in the Constructors' Championship - their lowest finish since 2012. Antonelli had his F1 first practice session back in August at the Italian Grand Prix, but was involved in a 160mph crash.
