Ted Kravitz admits Kimi Antonelli already reminds him of Kimi Raikkonen for one reason

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Mercedes finally confirmed the news that everybody was expecting in Monza with Kimi Antonelli signed up to replace Lewis Hamilton for 2025.

The Italian Grand Prix was the perfect place for Kimi Antonelli to be officially unveiled in front of his home fans.

Unfortunately, Antonelli’s first public outing in an F1 car came to a premature end after he crashed into the barriers just 10 minutes into FP1.

However, the 18-year-old will have plenty more opportunities next year to get used to the car before returning to Monza.

Martin Brundle described Antonelli as the luckiest driver ever following his crash and it’s expected that he’ll take part in at least one more practice session before becoming a full-time driver in 2025.

Speaking on Ted’s Notebook after qualifying, Ted Kravitz reflected on Antonelli’s press conference alongside Toto Wolff and George Russell.

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

Kravitz admitted that the young Italian reminded him of former world champion Kimi Raikkonen after listening to him speak to the press.

Raikkonen was back in the paddock for the first time since 2021 and will be wondering how his namesake performs once he’s officially on the grid next year.

Kimi Antonelli already being compared to Kimi Raikkonen after Mercedes confirmation

Going through the list of things he picked up in Antonelli’s driver announcement press conference, Kravitz said: “Kimi telling us what person he is, he’s 18, he gives short answers.

“So, he’s maybe a bit nervous of giving interviews, although by giving short answers, he’s taken the tip-off from his namesake of how to not spend too much time doing media in Formula 1.

“But I thought it was quite sweet and he said, ‘Look, I’m an empathetic person, but on the track, I’m an extremely aggressive driver.’”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Wolff confirmed that 2025 isn’t a shootout between Antonelli and Russell despite neither driver being signed up to a long-term contract.

Whether that fills either driver with confidence considering the looming threat of Mercedes hiring Max Verstappen is another matter.

Nico Rosberg explains why Mercedes chose Kimi Antonelli for 2025

Wolff has suggested that he knew within five minutes of discovering that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Ferrari that he would be promoting Antonelli.

Whether that’s actually the case or not is another matter considering the other options that were available to Mercedes.

Wolff suggested Carlos Sainz was definitely an option for next year after losing his Ferrari seat to Hamilton.

The Spaniard has instead ended up at Williams, although Martin Brundle thinks Sainz will have a get-out clause in his contract if a team like Mercedes comes calling.

Nico Rosberg has shared why he thinks Mercedes chose Antonelli for 2025 and all eyes are now on how the Italian copes when he eventually makes his F1 debut in Australia.

It speaks volumes about the hype surrounding the 18-year-old that there was so much focus on him when Franco Colapinto was making his F1 debut at Monza.