Russell is looking forward to welcome Antonelli at Mercedes
Ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli's first F1 race at Melbourne, his future team-mate George Russell has assessed the Italian's chances, insisting that the Bologna-born driver might be up to speed in no time.
Mercedes announced on the eve of last year's Italian Grand Prix that their F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli would replace Lewis Hamilton, who had confirmed his departure from the team back in February.
The Bologna-born driver, who competed in Formula 2 last season, has completed several test outings with Mercedes since the Brackley-based outfit announced his promotion. He first carried out running with the 2021 F1 Mercedes at the Red Bull Ring before racking up mileage with the 2022 F1 Mercedes in Imola and in Silverstone.
Antonelli then went on to gain experience at Spa in August before completing his first running on a race weekend. The 18-year-old took over George Russell's car in the opening practice session at the Italian Grand Prix, but a mistake on his second flying lap saw him crash into the barriers at the Parabolica corner.
He then travelled to Mexico, where he drove Lewis Hamilton's car in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where he admittedly took a calmer approach to avoid any mistake.
The Mercedes junior has recently completed another test run, this time at Jerez, racking up laps in the 2021 F1 Mercedes on at the beginning of January in nice weather conditions.
Antonelli will be the third youngest driver in F1 history, but George Russell thinks that the Italian will be up to speed in no time.
“He is such a fantastic driver. He does not have the experience yet, but I am sure he will be up to speed very quickly.
“He has already integrated so well. We have both been racing from a young age and we know what needs to be fed back to the team. He is young, but his opinion will be just as valid.”
