Former F1 driver explains why Kimi Antonelli chance is ‘so important’

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is one of the most hotly anticipated drivers set to make his full-time debut on the grid for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The 18-year-old had his first taste of an F1 weekend in front of his home crowd at Monza driving for Mercedes, although Antonelli would later suffer an embarrassing crash just 10 minutes into the practice session while pushing for a fast lap on the dirty track surface.

In the laps leading up to the crash, the Italian exhibited impressive pace that put him ahead of Max Verstappen in the speed traps at the end of the session.

The crash sparked some debate around the promotion, especially as Antonelli will be replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, but former F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi believes the appointment will be important for the future of Italian motorsport stars when speaking to F1.com.

Vitantonio Liuzzi explains why Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be important for Italy

Liuzzi formerly raced in F1 between 2005 and 2011 and is one of just three Italian drivers before Antonelli to race in the top flight of motorsport.

During that period he amassed 26 points from 80 starts in F1, scoring a best result of sixth place on two occasions while at Force India (now Aston Martin).

He explained why having an Italian on the grid will be an important moment for Antonelli and his home country, given its rich history in F1.

“We missed an Italian on the F1 grid – it’s so important,” said Liuzzi.

“Italy is such a historic country for motorsport. Apart from the Grand Prix, we have historic brands, great brands, so it’s important to keep the passion of the people high.

“It’s amazing that we have this opportunity [with] an Italian back on the grid, and I think he will have a lot of support from Italy, because there is a lot of passion about F1 [in the country].”

Helmut Marko issues warning to Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is known for being tough on drivers and recently said that success for Antonelli is “no way guaranteed” and anticipates that the Italian will need to bring in results early in his Mercedes career.

Mercedes has only taken four wins in the last three years and is currently trying to recover back to the front of the grid, after a winless 2023.

READ MORE: Who is Mercedes academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything to know

There have been signs of improvement in 2024 with wins from both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, but that has trailed off in the second half of the season.

Peter Windsor believes Antonelli must learn from Hamilton rather than Russell, given he has a similar driver style to the seven-time world champion, to make an impact early on at Mercedes.