Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli wins first F2 feature race - his second victory in as many weekends

Mercedes prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli has sensationally claimed his first Formula 2 feature race victory in Budapest.

The 17-year-old Italian won a dramatic and chaotic feature race at the Hungaroring which featured two Safety Car periods. The first was perfectly timed for Antonelli, who gained the lead after pitting under the Safety Car.

Antonelli had just broken clear of the pack when a second Safety Car was caused by a huge shunt for Amaury Cordeel.

Having stopped again for soft tyres, Antonelli charged back into the lead from fifth and pulled 12 seconds clear of his rivals by the chequered flag.

It marks Antonelli’s second win in as many race weekends, following his sprint race victory at Silverstone.

Antonelli bypassed Formula 3 to compete in his rookie F2 campaign and is understood to be Mercedes’ favoured option to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Speaking about Mercedes’ driver line-up decision at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “It’s a data decision and, obviously when you look at Kimi, the team hasn’t really found a good grip this year, which can happen.

“But he’s seventh and Oliver Bearman, who is clearly a very good driver, is 14th.They both struggle with the car. It’s not saying that one is better than the other one, but they struggle with the car in specific sessions.

“So we see what he’s doing in an F1 car – that’s the most important.”