Andrea Kimi Antonelli still has one key driving weakness ahead of Formula 1 debut with Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli will become George Russell’s teammate at Mercedes in Formula 1 next season after an excellent junior career.

The 18-year-old has recovered from a difficult start in Formula 2 this season for PREMA and has taken two victories despite the Italian team struggling with the new car.

Antonelli is one of the rare young drivers being thrown straight into a team expected to battle at the front of the field.

It is more common for rookies to spend time developing at a team further down the field without the constant external pressure of being at the front.

He crashed on his debut on an F1 race weekend, possibly due to Antonelli’s lacklustre reaction times in FP1 ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Mercedes‘ new driver will have a lot to learn early in the season after a very limited amount of testing in Bahrain before the season kicks off at the Australian Grand Prix.

Michael Schmidt explained when speaking to the ams.F1 YouTube channel that Antonelli may struggle with tyre management.

Formula 1 tyres are different to other compounds Andrea Kimi Antonelli has used before which may cause issues

Formula 1’s tyres are very different to the F2 rubber Antonelli is racing on this season despite them both being 18-inch compounds.

They are notoriously difficult to maximise at the highest level of motorsport and very easy to overheat over a race distance.

Antonelli will have to adjust quickly to the tyres while competing in races that are much longer than any event he has participated in before.

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Schmidt explained that looking after the tyres will likely be the Italian driver’s main issue during the opening stages of his F1 career.

He said: “The pressure is certainly the greatest with Antonelli, he skipped Formula 3 and went straight to Formula 2.

“This season is okay he hasn’t pulled up any trees, but he’s still won two races so when the car is right for him he’ll be at the front. I think he still has problems with tyre management where the pressure is the greatest.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will have another opportunity to impress in FP1 in Mexico

The Italian driver was spectacular while driving in first practice at the Italian Grand Prix, immediately pushing to the limit.

Antonelli went beyond the limits of his Mercedes and crashed in the early stages of the session. He will have a second opportunity to impress in first practice ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The outing towards the end of the season is vital for Antonelli to rebuild his confidence after the chaotic weekend in Italy.

Formula 1’s lack of pre-season testing may put added pressure on the practice session in Mexico to adjust to a modern F1 car on a circuit he’s never driven at before.