Kimi Antonelli – the teenager confirmed as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year – is one of the highest-rated prospects in motorsport right now.

The Italian driver is racing in Formula 2 in 2024, having skipped F3, for Prema Racing alongside British teen and Ferrari reserve Ollie Bearman.

Antonelli, who only turned 18 last Sunday, is on Mercedes’ books and was signed on to their junior programme at 11 years of age. In the years since, he has won numerous karting and single-seater competitions, which has thrust him into the spotlight at such a young age.

With Hamilton moving on from Mercedes after 12 years to join Ferrari at the end of the season, Antonelli is tipped to replace the seven-time F1 world champion - with Toto Wolff turning down the chance to sign Carlos Sainz and missing out on Max Verstappen, who is staying at Red Bull.

But what is Antonelli’s background – and why is he so highly-rated?

Who is Kimi Antonelli?

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who usually simply goes by Kimi Antonelli, was born in Bologna in 2006. His father, Marco, is a former racing driver and, in case you were wondering, indeed gave his son the middle name of ‘Kimi’ after 2007 Ferrari world champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Antonelli rose up the ranks quickly, winning the European Karting Championship in both 2020 and 2021 and making his debut in the Italian F4 championship at the age of 15 in 2021.

A year later, he was victorious in the Italian F4 championship, securing 13 wins from 20 races, and in the same year won the ADAC Formula 4 title.

His stock was rising and, when in 2023 he won both the Formula Regional Championships in Europe and the Middle East, Mercedes in partnership with Prema decided that the highly-rated youngster should skip F3 in 2024.

So this is where we land now. Antonelli is currently seventh in the F2 standings, with highlights being a sprint race win in Silverstone and a feature race victory in Hungary and will appear in an F1 grand prix weekend for the first time at Monza, when he replaces George Russell in first practice.

What has Toto Wolff said about Antonelli?

It is known that the Mercedes boss rates Antonelli extremely highly.

When Hamilton shocked the paddock by announcing his 2025 move to Ferrari in February, Wolff was asked about the prospect of a rapid ascension for Antonelli next year in F1.

"It’s clear Kimi has been in our junior academy since he was 11 and we have great pleasure in watching him grow as a young man and growing through the ranks, but I also want to take a little bit of pressure off him,” Wolff said.

"He’s just 17, he’s won everything he needed to win in his rookie seasons and I think he’s going to be in Formula One. He’s going to be a very, very successful driver in Formula One. But he hasn’t started his Formula Two campaign yet."

Wolff was keen to keep the limelight off Antonelli but the Mercedes team principal is keen to avoid a repeat of the situation with Max Verstappen 10 years ago.

Verstappen had a choice between Mercedes and Red Bull but with the latter able to commit the Dutchman to an early progression to F1 as a 17-year-old in 2015 with Toro Rosso, Max and his father Jos opted for Christian Horner’s team. The rest is history.

Avoiding a similar scenario this time round is why the possibility of a shock promotion for Antonelli to Mercedes next year as George Russell’s team-mate now seems highly likely.

Speaking ahead of Antonelli’s FP1 appearance at Monza, Wolff said: “It’s going to be a really emotional moment because we followed him since he was 11 and a baby go-kart driver with a Mercedes kit, proud to be in the garage, to seeing him drive out on Friday in FP1 in Monza, in front of the tifosi.

“Having an Italian kid in a competitive car, I think that will be something that everybody in Italy can be very proud of.”

How did he get his F1 seat?

The 18-year-old underwent his first set of tests in an F1 car with Mercedes in April, first driving the 2021 car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. He has also tested the 2022 W13 car at Imola and Silverstone in the last few weeks.

But the progression of the 2025 driver market is the clearest indicator yet that Antonelli will drive for Mercedes next year. Sainz confirmed last month that he will join Williams next year, while Verstappen confirmed he will stay at Red Bull for 2025.

With reserve driver Mick Schumacher never thought to be under serious consideration, Antonelli looks set to make the step up. The only alternative to this is if Mercedes look to pursue a move for a driver under contract for next year.

The 17-year-old underwent his first set of tests in an F1 car with Mercedes in April, first driving the 2021 car at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. He has also tested the 2022 W13 car at Imola and Silverstone in the last few weeks.

His times, especially compared to Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher, will be a key barometer to see if Antonelli is ready to make the step up.

What has Antonelli himself said?

The Italian, who speaks fluent English, spoke with excitement following his first F1 test in Austria in April.

“It’s been an incredible experience; I loved every second of it,” he said, in a video on Mercedes’ social media channels. “The first day didn’t go as planned, we got some snow unfortunately, so we couldn’t really drive. But the second day was dry, we got quite a lot of laps, and it was really good fun.”

“I want to thank all the team for all the hard work and [I’m] excited for what’s coming.”

Speaking more recently to Autosport in August, Antonelli said: “I’m very happy to be considered [for a seat], but I’m not asking for anything. At the moment my goal is to do well in Formula 2, then we’ll see.

“I still see it as a dream. Yes, I did happen to think about it, but it is a passing thought. In all honesty, I can tell you that for me today it is still a dream. We’ll see if it comes true.”