Kimi Antonelli “really grateful” to Lewis Hamilton for support ahead of F1 debut
“He’s been really nice to me and I am really grateful to 🌞that because it shows he’s not only a great driver ꦦbut a great person.”
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Andrea Kimi Antonelli has admitted it will be “pretty surreal” to race alongside 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton on track for the first time at this weekend’s F1 Australian Grand Prix.
Antonelli will make his F1 debut for Mercedes in Melbourne on Suཧnday.
At just 18, Antonelli is the youngest driver on the 2025 F1 grid but is rated incred🅘ibly highly by Mercedes.
Following Hamilton’s shock decision to leave the team for Ferrari, Mercedes decided to promote Antonelli from their junior academy rather than opt for an experienced option like 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Carlos Sainz.
Antonelli has been part of the Mercedes stable sinceᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ 2018, j𒊎oining as a youngster during Hamilton’s F1 title domination.
He will now go h💦ead-to-head with Hamiltoꦜn on track in 2025.
Speaking at the FIA press conference on Thursday in Melbourne, Antonelli discussed♐ the crucial role Hamilton played last year in adapting to life at Mercedes.
“I m🐠ean, first of all, it feels pretty surreal to be able to race with someone such as Lewis,” Ant🐼onelli said.
“I have been growing up, and once I joined Mercedes, looking at him. He’s been incredibly successful. It feels kind of weird that I am going to be sharing the track with him but also with Carlos, all of the drive🌄rs at the end of the day.
“When you’re used to seeing them on TV, you are finally able to share the track with them.💯 It’s an incredible feeling.
“Last year, I have been doing 𒉰some trackside, and at the end of the season, I am starting to work with the team. Lewis has always been nice to me and also given me some advice.
“And also you [Hamilton] wrote a message in the driver’s room? I will be able to see it pretty soon. He’s been really nice to me and I am really grateful to that because it shows he’s not only a great driver but a great per🅰son.”
Antonelli could break Verstappen record
Antonelli could break a long-time 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen record early in the season.
If the Italian wins any of the three opening races of thꦚe year, then Antonelli will become the yo♈ungest winner in F1 history.
Verstap🦩pen currently holds the record after winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, his first race for Red Bull.
The last rookie to finish on the podium in their first race wa🧔s Kevin Magnussen, who drove for McLaren at the 2014 Ausꦕtralian Grand Prix.
With a sharp eye for ༺F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
