Kimi Antonelli handed second Mercedes FP1 outing replacing Lewis Hamilton

Toto Wolff has confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli will drive for Mercedes in the opening F1 practice session at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.

Antonelli will drive in Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in the first 60 minutes of practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday.

As per F1’s regulations, all 10 teams are permitted to give rookie drivers two outings across the 2024 campaign.

Antonelli replaced George Russell in FP1 at Monza, but crashed heavily early on.

The 18-year-old Italian will get another opportunity to drive the W15 as he prepares to make his F1 debut next year.

Antonelli has been chosen as Hamilton’s successor, with the seven-time world champion joining Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc.

Ahead of the weekend, Wolff said: “With its high altitude, Mexico presents a unique challenge. The power unit has to work harder and, to counteract the thin air, we run at maximum downforce.

“It will provide another opportunity to evaluate our recent update package. Kimi will also be in the car for his second FP1 session and we look forward to him continuing his development on track.”

Mercedes’ “challenge” in Mexico

Mercedes endured a difficult weekend last time out at the United States Grand Prix.

Hamilton spun out of the race in the opening couple of laps, while Russell finished sixth after starting from the pit lane.

The W15 in the hands of both drivers proved to be difficult to drive, with their new upgrade package potentially impacting the handling of the car.

“After a difficult weekend in Austin, we have the opportunity to bounce back immediately in Mexico,” Wolff added. “Our performance in Texas showed that there is inherent performance in the car. Our challenge is extracting this consistently.

“That is not the result of one specific challenge, but the interaction of the car across both aero and mechanical factors. We have five more races to work on this before the end of the season. It is important that we do so, not only for our immediate performance but to also set ourselves up well for 2025.”