Mercedes F1 2025 contender Kimi Antonelli claims breakthrough F2 win

Mercedes protege and F1 2025 seat contender Andrea Kimi Antonelli has claimed his breakthrough Formula 2 victory at a sodden Silverstone. 

Antonelli won a hectic, red-flagged 21-lap sprint race held in wet conditions at the British Grand Prix venue on Saturday afternoon.

The 17-year-old Italian held off Zane Maloney to take his maiden win in the series in a race interrupted by several Safety Car interventions and an early red flag due to worsening weather.

It was a nightmare race for F2 championship frontrunners Paul Aron and Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, both of whom retired after separate incidents.

The result sees Antonelli become the 13th different winner in F2 this season and leaves him ninth in the championship, 58 points behind Aron. 

Antonelli has been linked with a promotion to Mercedes for next season as a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.

“What I like in terms of his attitude, generally with his family who have always been close to him, is the objective assessment of the situation, which is good or not good enough,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said at Silverstone, where Crash.net are in the paddock.

“And I don’t think the pressure harms him or how he performs in the car and drives, because he has a good benchmark with Ollie Bearman.

“You have got to swim, that’s clear. He has had a rapid career progression, he’s 17 and does not even have a driver’s licence for a road car.

“The best ones will be able to cope with the amount of scrutiny and pressure, and that is only going to get bigger.”

Antonelli’s Prema teammate Oliver Bearman, whose graduation to F1 with Haas in 2025 was confirmed on Thursday, failed to finish after pulling over with an issue.