The F1 dream it was born from an early age, when the long trips with dad to the circuit began, when you began to study less, when you made sacrifices because the championships cost quite a lot. Yet once a few seasons on karts have been completed the path should be gradual, F4/FR-F3-F2 and then finally F1. There are few cases in which a driver has completely skipped one of the steps, the most recent being Oliver Bearman who skipped Formula Regional and Max Verstappen who moved to F1 at just 17 years old without ever having played a season in Formula 2. Well now it could happen again, with an Italian: Kimi Andrea Antonelli.
Who is Kimi Antonelli?
It's hard not to have heard his name, even if you aren't very familiar with the minor categories.
Kimi Andrea Antonelli He is a driver from Bologna born in 2006 who in 2018 began his professional career in racing with the Kart Republic team known for having also hosted Hamilton and Rosberg in their karting days. In 2019 he then joined the Mercedes Junior Team project, competes for two seasons in F4 (2021-2022) and in 2023 races in Formula Regional dominating the competition. At the same time as the Formula Regional he races for some events in the Italian Gran Turismo Championship in the family team AKM Motorsport. A CV path for a very young man like him and no one would have been surprised by a promotion to F3, but here in the Monza paddock their eyes are rolling because there are rumors that for the 2024 season he will race in F2 with the Prema team.
Is Kimi in F2 official?
No! The news was not given neither by the Italian team nor by the person directly involved Kimi Antonelli. News which, at least among the parties, does not seem to be confirmed but which seems to be very close to reality. There Mercedes in fact it does not exclude any option. Toto Wolff expressed his opinion on the issue during the weekend in Monza.
"There is always the risk that if too much hype is created around a young driver he will not be left alone to do something [...] let's see how this season will proceed and then we will decide what to do".
What if it were reality?
Let's imagine a scenario in which the negotiation was over, confirming Kimi's important leap into F2. What would be the negative aspects? I have heard many say that "such a young driver could get burned without the right experience and in front of those who have learned their skills", so wouldn't this be the perfect time to do it? Kimi would find himself facing his first season in F2 close to a regulatory change that could put him on the same level as those who are veterans of the category, also helping him to adapt more quickly.
“The driver market is saturated with young people pushing to enter F1,” on this point Kimi has his long coexistence with Mercedes on his side, which is investing a lot in him and which, having a satellite team, could "fix" him without much difficulty.
It's worth taking the risk? After all, we're talking about motorsport you take the risk.
