Kimi Antonelli rejects idea he’s “replacing” Lewis Hamilton: “He’s done so much”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli disagrees with the notion that he’s “replacing” Lewis Hamilton as he feels he’s just the “next Mercedes driver”.

With Hamilton moving to Ferrari, Mercedes opted to sign Antonelli as his replacement.

Antonelli is the youngest driver on the 2025 F1 grid at just 18.

With limited single-seater experience, Mercedes have given him an incredible amount of time in older F1 cars to get him up to speed.

Antonelli could become F1’s youngest-ever race winner if he is victorious in any of the opening three races, breaking Max Verstappen's current record. 

Speaking to Sky Sports at the launch of Mercedes’ partnership with Adidas, Antonelli was quick to say that no one can replace Hamilton.

“I feel like I am just a new Mercedes driver. Of course, saying that I am replacing Lewis Hamilton… I don’t think it’s really correct,” Antonelli said.

“He’s such a big figure in the sport and he’s done so much. I feel like I am just the next Mercedes driver and really want to make my way and try to achieve great results.”

Antonelli prepared for “brutal” F1

The spotlight will be on Antonelli, given that he will be racing for one of F1’s leading teams.

Whether Mercedes are in title contention remains to be seen as over the past three years, they’ve struggled with consistency.

Antonelli has acknowledged that his rookie campaign isn’t going to be easy.

“It’s not going to be easy because my first year in F1 at the end of the day I am racing against other 19 best drivers in the world,” Antonelli added.

“Of course, the world of motorsport, Formula 1 especially, can be very brutal sometimes. But you know the thing is I am just going to just try and stay focused on myself.

“Try to work day by day, weekend by weekend and trying to prove myself. The mindset is going to be one of trying to win and then we will see. As I said before, I have good people around me that especially in this moment they really try and help me to ignore the external things to just always be focused on the moment.”