Andrea Kimi Antonelli Gets First Mercedes Test in Race to Replace Lewis Hamilton

Antonelli test drove Mercedes' 2021 car in Austria.

Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton rounds turn 18 during the first F1 practice at Circuit / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Andrea Kimi Antonelli may have taken his first step into a Formula 1 seat.

A member of the Mercedes junior team, Antonelli had his first test in an F1 car on Wednesday at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The 17-year-old Italian is believed to be in competition for the seat Lewis Hamilton will vacate when he heads to Ferrari in 2025.

The test was a chance to get Antonelli acclimated to F1 machinery as Mercedes assesses his ability. He has been a junior driver for the team since 2019, when he was just 12 years old.

Antonelli is currently competing in F2. He skipped F3 completely after winning the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023. Through six races in 2024, the young Italian has scored 24 points, with no wins or podiums for Prema Racing.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it was always the plan to get Antonelli time in an F1 car. And the team will continue to evaluate him.

"The programme of Kimi driving Formula 1 has been in place for a long time and hasn't changed massively over the last few weeks," Wolff said.

"What we have done is added more days, but what you will see in the next few months has been in place, whether or not he's going to sit in a Formula 1 car next year. So, yeah. We're going to do a few of these days for him to get comfortable in an F1 car."

For his first F1 test, Antonelli drove Mercedes' 2021 car. Wolf noted he will next get some time in the team's 2022 machine, though that could be a disappointing experience. Mercedes' 2021 machine helped win a constructors' championship, and that was the last time the team had a truly competitive car.

Both Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen have been linked to a move into Hamilton's old seat. Antonelli would certainly be the cheaper option for Mercedes. At only 17 years old, Antonelli may have to wait for his chance, but his test in Austria was a step towards Formula 1.