Mercedes chief recalls the moment Andrea Kimi Antonelli was considered as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli has finally been confirmed by Mercedes for 2025 after long-time speculation over his future within the outfit.

The 18-year-old will partner George Russell and will replace seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, after being announced by the team on the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

While Antonelli suffered an embarrassing crash when he took over Russell’s car on Friday, he has shown the reason why Mercedes has decided to risk their future lineup on a younger driver that came up through their Junior Academy.

Recalling the moment when they first considered Antonelli for the drive, Mercedes chief communications officer Bradley Lord explained when they first considered the youngster when speaking on Sky Sports.

Mercedes chief explains when they first considered Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently claimed that it took him five seconds after Hamilton announced he would be leaving the team to consider Antonelli for his place.

Lord recalls that he was in a meeting with Wolff when the news broke and the pair began to hatch a plan for the succession of one of F1’s most successful driver and team combinations.

“Kimi was F3 testing when the news broke about Lewis,” said Lord.

“I remember sitting with Toto in his office and we were sketching out the possibility that could be what he did for 2025 all the way back in February. He looked pretty excited then and Kimi looked equally excited.”

Does Andrea Kimi Antonelli live up to the hype?

There has been a considerable amount of hype generated by Antonelli ahead of his full-time F1 debut, largely due to his age and ability.

While his F2 season has been lacklustre, owing to the problems faced by his Prema team, he has shown maturity and ability to improve his race craft as the season has progressed.

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

Antonelli has been testing with Mercedes throughout the season in a 2022 car and reportedly ‘surprised everyone’ with his ability to absorb information.

He has also been compared to Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc by people within the F1 paddock, as he is billed as the next big name set for championship success in the future.