Kimi Antonelli makes shock admission ahead of potential Mercedes F1 move

The Mercedes academy phenom has shied away from an early F1 move, despite success in F2

Kimi Antonelli is favourite to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes (PA Wire)

Despite claiming his second Formula 2 race win on Sunday, Mercedes Junior Programme starlet Andrea Kimi Antonelli has distanced himself from a step up to the vacant Mercedes Formula 1 race seat, insisting that he still has a lot to learn in junior series.

Speaking after a dominant showing in the F2 feature race, which he won by a margin of 12.5 seconds, Antonelli told reporters: “I don’t know if I will be ready [to make the step up to F1].”

The win was not enough for Antonelli’s dizzyingly high standards, though. Despite his prodigious talent, he admits that “I’m still learning a lot in F2, and definitely, I still make quite a few mistakes, [and there are ] a few details that really matter... I’m still not doing everything right.”

“I’m trying to improve and to not make the same mistakes again, and I think today was the proof.”

Antonelli’s rapid rise through junior formulae has sparked debate as to whether the minimum age for an FIA Super License, required to race in Formula 1, should be lowered in order to let the Italian join the top flight sooner. The 17-year-old’s talent is such that he bypassed Formula 3 altogether after dominating various regional junior series.

Should Antonelli make the step to F1 next season, he would face the daunting task of filling the void left by Lewis Hamilton, who will move to Scuderia Ferrari in 2025. Already a seven-time World Champion, the Briton finished the Hungary Grand Prix in third for his 200th career podium finish.

“About next year, I don’t really want to think about it because nothing is official, and I don’t know anything, to be honest,” Antonelli continued.

He remains optimistic, though. His results have picked seen a sharp upturn recently, managing wins in consecutive rounds after failing to finish on the podium in the first 14 races of the season.

“To come away with two wins is really good on the mental side, for the team as well, because we struggled at the start of the season, but now we’re building the momentum,” he said.

“In Silverstone, it was a win in the wet, so our main focus was to improve in the dry, which we have done this weekend.”