‘Fantastic’ young Mercedes driver Toto Wolff loves announced by F2 team for 2024

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Mercedes young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been announced by Italian team PREMA to drive for their F2 team in 2024.

An announcement from the successful Formula 2 team begins the start of the recruitment process in the feeder series below F1.

Normally at this point in the season speculation is beginning to subside as silly season comes to an end in Formula 1 with teams confirming their two drivers for the following year.

Those discussions haven’t taken place this year, with every team except Williams confirming an identical lineup for 2024.

Logan Sargeant securing his first-ever point in Austin yesterday would have done his chances of staying in the sport a world of good.

It means the top teams are having to be more creative with where they place their most exciting talents going forward.

Last year’s Formula 2 winner Felipe Drugovich remains on the sidelines at Aston Martin while this year’s likely champion Theo Pourchaire will have to look beyond F1 for any opportunities next season.

Mercedes have moved early to get exciting young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli into F2 ahead of the 2024 campaign.

The 17-year-old will skip Formula 3 altogether and join PREMA, one of the strongest teams at that level.

Their former drivers include Zhou Guanyu, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.

It’s very much the team to be with if you want to make the step up to F1, with current driver Ollie Bearman already eyeing up a seat at Haas in 2025.

Mercedes youngster Antonelli joins F2 grid in 2024

The report from PREMA confirms Antonelli will take part in the F2 test in Yas Marina at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.

He’s already won five titles in less than two years with the Italian team and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is hugely excited about the teenager.

Asked about him in the past, he said: “Since working together, Kimi has ticked all the boxes.

“But not only that, I really like him as a boy, as a personality, and he has a fantastic family environment around him that helps him always keep his feet on the ground.

“He has a great talent and can count on important values ​​that come from his family.

“Kimi is still in the early stages of his journey and I think he has a bright future ahead of him that will be his if he keeps taking it one step at a time.

“Besides, it’s just lovely for me to work with him and his father, two people who have their feet firmly on the ground.”

Seeing how Antonelli stacks up against the F2 grid in 2024 will give Mercedes a good idea of how far away he is from a potential Formula 1 seat.

He’s going to want to put Danish driver Frederik Vesti under pressure as the current most likely heir to a Mercedes seat within their academy.

It only increases the calls for more teams in F1 with so many promising drivers unable to break through given the lack of available seats.