Andrea Kimi Antonelli, better known as just Kimi Antonelli based on his preference, passed his driving licence a few days ago. Mercedes posted a picture of him in an examination car with the caption “Mission completed” to let everyone know that besides Formula 1, he can now drive a normal road car when he needs to go grocery shopping or do something similarly mundane besides just driving 300 km/h on a race circuit.
The news comes just a few weeks before the F1 season returns for pre-season testing in Bahrain and shortly before the Autosport Awards, where he spoke to Sky Sports F1, stating:
“[Driving on public roads is scarier than F1 tracks.] During the driving test, it was difficult to drive, because the limit was 30. […] The road is different, so on track I feel more comfortable, because I have been growing up on tracks, so driving on the road is quite new for me.”
He also admitted to being nervous about the test and struggling to sleep the night before, since he only had one shot – with the F1 season just around the corner and a calendar consisting of 24 races, making it difficult to fit it anywhere else in the schedule.
“I just did a little mistake on the theory, one mistake, but overall, it went pretty well.”
Kimi already got his first taste of F1 machinery during his home race weekend in Monza when he took part in the mandatory FP1 rookie session for Mercedes, filling in for George Russell.
It was only a few days after he turned 18, and there was enormous pressure on him, with Mercedes arguably setting him up for failure with the planned practice program. That failure came in the form of a minor crash at Parabolica.
Despite that, he got announced right after the session as Lewis Hamilton‘s replacement for the full 2025 season – and possibly beyond, provided similar incidents don’t occur repeatedly.
The Super Licence system was introduced back in 2016 in response to Max Verstappen’s early promotion to F1 after he skipped junior categories and became a Toro Rosso driver at just 17 years old. He earned the nickname “Crashstappen” due to his frequent collisions early in his career.
Since then, any driver aspiring to enter Formula 1 must first earn a Super Licence. They must have a valid driver’s licence in their home country, be at least 18 years of age, accumulate 40 points in the last three seasons before applying for the Super Licence and pass FIA’s theory test. With last year’s rule exception, the first two conditions may be overlooked. If the FIA deems a driver consistent and mature enough for F1, they can be granted entry as early as 17.
Kimi had already reached the required points threshold in June and the mandatory age in August, so the exception from rules wasn’t needed for him. However, it could come in handy this year if Red Bull needs the services of Arvid Lindblad, an F2 driver with a mixed background and multiple wins under his belt.
Kimi joined the Mercedes junior academy in 2019 when he was only 11 years old, winning various F4-graded categories as well as Formula Regional Championships before skipping F3 to go straight to F2 with Prema. Despite inconsistent results, Antonelli secured a full-time Mercedes seat over more experienced drivers with a better current record.
It’s not easy to take the seat of a seven-time world champion, but Toto Wolff has set even higher expectations for the Italian driver. It’s no secret that one of his biggest regrets was not signing Max Verstappen as a junior driver before Red Bull had the chance. Kimi being the third youngest ever F1 driver gives him the opportunity now.
Was Verstappen too young to enter Formula 1? Perhaps, but he proved his doubters wrong since then, now a four-time world champion. Kimi could do the same now, having undergone extensive testing with previous Mercedes cars, which could help him avoid any unnecessary collisions.
The Super Licence rules have been questioned before, notably when Colton Herta was close to signing with AlphaTauri for F1. The FIA rejected his Super Licence application due to different points system for top drivers in IndyCar – ranking it even below F3 in the ladder of categories. Instead, AlphaTauri ended up signing Nyck de Vries, who met all the criteria.
It remains to be seen whether Antonelli will follow in Verstappen’s footsteps in other areas as well and become the next world champion or the youngest race winner in the history of F1. His first task is to outperform his own teammate.
Their comparison starts later this month, during pre-season testing in Bahrain, and Antonelli knows that if he doesn’t perform well during the season, Toto Wolff has a reliable backup in Valtteri Bottas, who is returning to the team as a reserve driver.