Kimi Antonelli faces a very steep learning curve at Mercedes (Image: Getty)
While the headline F1 news at the turn of the year was officially becoming a driver, also took up a seat on the grid, replacing the seven-time world champion at .
The 18-year-old arrives in F1 as one of the most hotly anticipated rookies in modern history. Only the likes of and Charles Leclerc have commanded such attention while climbing out of the junior categories in recent times, and few have been talked about so often from the early teenage years.
It is easy to see how the pressure could get to Antonelli. The Bologna-born racer crashed just two laps into his debut FP1 session after replacing at Monza in 2024, and he later admitted that the external noise got in his head throughout the weekend.
Fortunately for the teenager, he has a wealth of advice passed down from his predecessor to help him make the steep transition from Formula Two to a front-running F1 team. The Brit advised Antonelli to “take your time…keep your family very, very close, stay off social media that’s one of the worst things…don’t read the news. Don’t read the stories.”
He added: “It’s a lot for his young shoulders to join such a big team, and you want to excel so much. You want to impress so much and show how good you are, but you’ve got time, slowly build up into it. Everyone will see how good you are over time.”
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Lewis Hamilton offered Antonelli advice before leaving Mercedes (Image: Getty)
Hamilton also offered up some advice for the influx of rookie drivers making the step up in 2025. Antonelli will be joined on the grid by Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan and Oliver Bearman, all of whom are preparing for their debut seasons.
“Don’t do absolutely everything everyone tells you to do. Ask lots of questions. Take your time,” Hamilton said in Las Vegas. “Don’t let the negativity get to you because, you know, people are so negative nowadays judging you non-stop.
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“So stay off social media and keep your family and your closest friends close to you because they are the only ones that are your true friends, and they’re going to be there for you when they go and get stuff.”
With Hamilton’s advice considered, Antonelli will be well-placed to take the fight to in 2025. gambled by promoting the Italian with only half a season of F2 action as supporting evidence, but the glowing reviews of his colleagues suggest that this could be the start of a new iconic partnership in F1.