Antonelli can't wait for Mercedes F1 debut at Monza

Having already completed several test drives in recent months, Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli claims he cannot wait for his first outing with Mercedes on az F1 race weekend.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff confirmed after last Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix that the Brackley-based outfit's junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli will make his official F1 outing at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Since Lewis Hamilton announced his departure from Mercedes, Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been regularly mentioned as a potential replacement of the seven-time world champion.

The 18-year-old currently races in Formula One's main feeder series, the FIA Formula 2, and has been part of Mercedes junior driver programme since 2019.

While his future is still unsure, the Wolff has now confirmed that the Bologna-born driver will drive for Mercedes in the opening practice session at next weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Commenting on his opportunity, Antonelli said: "I'm really excited to drive the W15 and share the track with so many amazing drivers. I can't wait for it!"

The Mercedes junior- who has undertaken numerous F1 tests for the team already this year as part of the Testing of Previous Cars Programme - will drive George Russell's car for the hour-long session.

By driving in FP1, Antonelli will become the first Italian to take part in a Grand Prix weekend since Antonio Giovinazzi at the 2022 United States Grand Prix.

FIA regulations state all F1 drivers must sit out one FP1 each season for somebody who has no more than two Grand Prix starts.

Mercedes has also confimed that while Russell will sit out FP1 this weekend, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton will skip the opening session of the weekend at a race later in the year.

Kimi added: "Making my F1 session debut in front of my home crowd too is incredible. I'm looking forward to learning a lot but also helping contribute to the team's weekend."

The Italian has enjoyed a solid season with PREMA in Formula 2, claiming two wins. A maiden triumph in the Silverstone Sprint race was backed up with Feature race success in Hungary two weeks later. He current sits P7 in the standings with four rounds remaining..

In 2022, Antonelli won titles in both Italian and German F4 series. The Italian graduated to Formula One's top feeder series after winning Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) last season.