In a move that could shape the future of Formula 1, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the talented 17-year-old driver, is set to test for Mercedes following the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes will evaluate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by giving him a chance to test their 2022 car after the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix. The team is considering whether Antonelli, a promising Italian F2 driver, could replace Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari next season.
The search for Hamilton’s successor has led Mercedes to Antonelli, especially after turning down Carlos Sainz and avoiding drivers released by Ferrari. Team boss Toto Wolff is eager to promote Antonelli, who has had test runs at the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Imola recently.
Antonelli, who has bagged victories at Silverstone and the Hungaroring in F2, will get his opportunity at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. He’ll be running the W13 as part of the Testing of Previous Car (TPC) program.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, explained the challenges of running a TPC program because of the busy F1 calendar. He said, “It’s difficult to find opportunities to run a TPC program because the F1 race calendar is so busy. We haven’t got a whole separate team of people that can do that.”
Shovlin noted the impact of the cost cap on testing. He added, “That’s one of the realities of the cost cap is that you haven’t got the test team that you used to have in years gone by and Kimi is pretty busy with his F2 calendar, which, when you’re in Europe, is quite a focus.”
Mercedes has more events planned for Antonelli. Shovlin said, “We’ve got more events planned. We’re doing a day with him here in Spa after the weekend. And then we’ve got other events further into the year, but it’s all going well.”
Shovlin also talked about what the future programs will entail for Antonelli. “The programs now will drift towards teaching him how you need to refine the approach to qualifying, how you refine the approach to long runs and just trying to get all of that work so he can have a clearer idea of what it is he needs to work on and improve.”
With high hopes and a rigorous testing schedule, Mercedes seems committed to carving out a bright future for Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1.
