Mercedes have named Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s heir for 2025 and beyond.
The 18-year-old driver will partner up with George Russell after just one season in Formula 2.
Antonelli got his first taste of the Silver Arrow, which he will be competing in next year, during Monza’s first practice session on Friday.
The Italian youngster looked to be pushing quite hard and spun into the barrier.
Team Principal Toto Wolff says he promoted Antonelli because he feels he can become a leading driver in Formula 1 and that keeping him away from the top level would be wrong.
He said: “Kimi has been with us since the age of 11.
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“We have seen that, back in the day, his karting has been exceptional, maybe the only one who came close to this was Max Verstappen’s karting trajectory.
“And then he went through the formula series, winning in the rookie years and that is very special.
“Kimi has all he needs, the ability and the speed, and he has been part of the team a long time, he has tested a lot.
“We expect great things, but not from the beginning. It is clear we need to give him time and see how he develops.”
Despite the kind words from Wolff, he admitted that Antonelli will need time to adapt to the step up to F1.
He is currently tasked with leading the testing programmes for Mercedes, a role he will continue in for the remainder of the year.
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Hamilton himself has publicly backed Antonelli to take over from him when he moves to Ferrari, declaring that the 18-year-old has a bright future ahead of him.
Wolff added: “Probably we will see some very good races and highlights in the first season.
“But on the other side we will also see some front wings that will be missing after turn one and maybe one or the other things in the race that don’t run so well.
“F1 is a complicated car, lots of switches, and that’s something you need to adapt to.”
