Kimi Antonelli claims his driving style is similar to Lewis Hamilton’s.
Mercedes have taken the bold decision to replace seven-time F1 champion Hamilton with rookie Antonelli next season.
Toto Wolff’s faith in the prodigious teenager means he will jump into a race seat with major expectations.
Antonelli was quoted by Gazzetta about Hamilton: “He’s very kind and talks to me a lot.
“And in terms of style it is similar to mine, with the car having a lot of understeer.
I was in Singapore and listening to him talk to the engineers I learned a lot.
“What I’ll have to get used to is hearing all the engineers on headphones, because I’m someone who doesn’t speak much.
“But if they speak it’s to give useful information, I’ll have to learn the procedures well.
“If you touch a wrong button it’s a mess.
“A seat with a steering wheel will soon arrive at my house to learn the departures and the various procedures.
“Also because you have to know where each button is without having to look.”
Mercedes took their time appointing Antonelli as Hamilton’s successor, while putting him through a series of tests.
He pinpointed why he got the nod: “The great speed I had right away.
“I struggled at the beginning with the race pace, but after a test in Spa they saw a clear step forward and were convinced.
“And two days later the call came that they were taking me for 2025.
“Today in F1 you have a lot of data to look at, there is live telemetry and they can tell you what to do, but they let me do a lot .
“At Spa I did a great test where I learned to anticipate tyre degradation.”
Antonelli’s first laps on a Formula 1 weekend did not go to plan.
He drove in FP1 at Monza but a crash ended his run early.
“That first lap was a unique emotion with all those people in the stands,” he said.
“Then I got… naughty. Now I will have two more opportunities in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
“Russell? He wasn’t very happy, but before going out to the Parabolica I had gone fast.
“I have a good relationship with George, he hasn’t given me great advice, but for now everything is fine. But next year I want to beat him.”
