F1 News: Kimi Antonelli Takes Mercedes Seat Once Again In Test After Belgium Grand Prix

Alex Harrington | Jul 25, 2024

2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, Saturday / Steve Etherington / Mercedes

 The 17-year-old Italian driver and Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli is scheduled to climb back into a Mercedes for another Formula 1 test following the Belgium Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Driving the Mercedes 2022 W13 car, Antonelli's participation is a continuation of his role in Mercedes' Testing of Previously Certified (TPC) program. This framework aims to prepare future talents for the demands of F1 racing, and Spa represents yet another vital stepping stone in his burgeoning career.

This isn't Antonelli's first time testing at the sharp end of motorsport; he has previously demonstrated his skills on tracks like the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Imola. Each session provides invaluable experience, helping him to refine his technique and adapt to the relentless speed and pressure of Formula 1.

The logistics of managing such a program are complex, especially given the constraints imposed by the F1 race calendar and the financial restrictions of the F1 cost cap. Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, elaborated on these challenges:

"It's difficult to find opportunities to run a TPC programme because the F1 race calendar is so busy. We haven't got a whole separate team of people that can do that.” Shovlin also pointed out, “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."

Despite the challenges, the program is progressing smoothly.

"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 explained. "And plenty more events are planned.”

As Antonelli continues to excel in the Formula 2 championship, speculation about a potential full-time seat in Formula 1 grows. His succession of triumphs in both sprint and feature races at prestigious venues like Silverstone and Budapest has not gone unnoticed, with murmurs about him likely filling the giant shoes of Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari for the 2025 season.

Yet, Antonelli remains cautiously grounded about his rapid ascent. Reflecting on his journey and the mistakes along the way, he shared:

“I don’t know if I would be ready, to be honest, because I still am learning a lot in F2. “Definitely I still do quite a few mistakes, a few details that really matter, and I’m still not doing them right.” His win in Hungary, however, shows a promising trajectory, as he concluded, “I don’t know, to be honest. I’m trying to improve and to not make the Free same mistakes again, and I think [winning the Feature Race in Hungary] was the proof."