Kimi Antonelli’s F1 number revealed for Monza FP1 ahead of potentially signing for Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s next step in his quest to realise a dream of joining Formula 1 arrives at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The young Italian will debut in an official Formula 1 session in front of his adoring home crowd, as he takes to the track for Mercedes during Free Practice One.

He replaces George Russell as he comes to grips with the W15 – a car which has started to win races recently.

After the session he will jump back into his usual Prema Formula 2 cockpit to participate in qualifying for Sunday’s Feature Race.

Kimi Antonelli to run the number 12 in FP1 at Monza

Antonelli uses the number four for Prema in Formula 2, but it looks like this isn’t his usual choice of number as he steps up to Formula 1 machinery.

Drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport are afforded the opportunity to select their own number, but only if it is available and hasn’t been selected by someone else yet.

In his FRECA days – the category he competed in before skipping Formula 3 to jump to Formula 2, he used the number 12.

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And now thanks to a tweet from journalist Albert Fabrega, it looks like Antonelli will use the number 12 when he enters the Silver Arrows cockpit at Monza.

The number was last used by Sauber‘s Felipe Nasr in the 2016 season, and has been free ever since the Brazilian left the sport.

Have Mercedes confirmed their second driver for 2025 yet?

Currently, Mercedes are yet to decide who to pair George Russell with for 2025 – the final year of Formula 1’s current technical regulations.

They have been in need of a driver ever since Lewis Hamilton‘s shocking announcement that he would be joining Ferrari from the start of the 2025 season in February.

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There were plenty of options on the market, with names such as Carlos Sainz, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso all linked to the seat.

But, with two of those signed on with rival teams and the other enjoying retirement, it seems that the 18-year-old Antonelli may be in prime position to land a premiere drive for 2025.

If Mercedes can maintain, or even improve upon their current form, then Antonelli will receive the opportunity to become Formula 1’s youngest winner since Max Verstappen at some stage, if he is handed a golden opportunity for drive for the German manufacturer.