Lewis Hamilton F1 replacement passes HUGE test

Mercedes

Hamilton replacement passes HUGE test

Kimi Antonelli will take over from Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025

Kevin McKenna

Tuesday 28 January 2025 22:57

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The man chosen to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for 2025 has been given further reason to celebrate ahead of the new campaign.

Hamilton - who won six of his seven world titles at the Silver Arrows - completed his switch to rivals Ferrari during the off-season, where he will hope to rediscover his form having cut a frustrated figure for much of the past three years.

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He is set to link up with Charles Leclerc at the Scuderia, and recently spoke about his excitement at finally fulfilling his 'dream' of representing the Italian giants.

The 40-year-old has already had his first taste of life behind the wheel of a Ferrari, taking to the track at Fiorano last week to conduct a test run for his new team.

Kimi Antonelli has been backed by F1 Toto Wolff to impress at Mercedes

He has replaced Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time champion's Ferrari switch

Antonelli passes major test

Following months of speculation around who would replace Hamilton at Mercedes, it was confirmed by team principal Toto Wolff that Kimi Antonelli would be given the opportunity to partner George Russell.

The announcement came midway through what was just the Italian's first year in F2, demonstrating the team's complete belief in the 18-year-old, who won a sprint and feature race in the second tier at Silverstone and Budapest respectively.

His first outing in F1 didn't go according to plan as he filled in for Russell in FP1 at Monza last August, crashing out at Parabolica and cutting his debut short.

He'll be hoping for better luck when he takes to track once again next month during pre-season testing in Bahrain, before making his grand prix bow in Melbourne on March 16.

But while there are plenty of challenges lying in wait for the teenager on the track, he has managed to pass a significant test away from it: his driving test.

Taking to Instagram, Antonelli posted an image of himself inside the car giving a thumbs up from the driver seat, and attached a caption which read: "Mission completed."

Congratulations to Kimi Antonelli, who officially passed his driving test today!

[@KimiAntonelliFR] pic.twitter.com/kjwuMmlCI5
— Mercedes Hub (@MercedesF1_Hub) January 27, 2025