Kimi Antonelli reveals Lewis Hamilton discovery ahead of Mercedes F1 debut

Andrea Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes’ F1 data shows he has a similar driving style to Lewis Hamilton.

The 18-year-old Italian will make the step up to F1 next season with Mercedes, replacing Hamilton, who will complete a blockbuster switch to Ferrari.

Antonelli convinced Mercedes he deserved the vacant seat alongside George Russell during a post-Belgian Grand Prix F1 test.

Speaking during an appearance at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, the Mercedes junior revealed Hamilton is helping him prepare for his F1 debut next year.

“I didn’t expect that, he’s very nice and talks to me a lot,” Antonelli said of Hamilton.

“And looking at the data, his driving style seems similar to mine.

“I was in Singapore and listening to him talk to the engineers – I learned a lot.”

Antonelli made headlines when his first FP1 outing at Monza ended in a crash just 10 minutes into the session.

Mercedes have been keen to downplay expectations surrounding Antonelli but the youngster is targeting race victories in his rookie campaign.

"I feel ready for F1,” he said. “In terms of speed, I think it won't be a problem.

“The only thing where there will be a lot of work to do is about how to manage the weekend in the best possible way and also to learn all the procedures. So, there will be a lot of things to learn.

“Definitely winning some races [next year] would be a dream. It won't be easy, because all the teams will have a competitive car, so it will be very difficult, but this is the target.

“Some podiums would also be good, but the main goal is to bring home some wins.”