LEWIS HAMILTON’S potential successor Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered a huge crash in the Mercedes car during a practice session at the Italian Grand Prix.
Italian Antonelli, 18, is on the verge of being announced as George Russell’s team-mate next year after impressing in the Silver Arrows’ junior set-up.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed earlier this month Max Verstappen will not be signing for them next year, leaving the door open for the young prodigy.
But Antonelli’s bid to seal his seat suffered a massive blow on Friday afternoon when he crashed during his stint in the first practice session at Monza.
He spun out just 10 minutes into P1 and crashed into the wall as a red flag was waved.
Antonelli got out of the car and walked away seemingly unscathed after apologising to the team on the radio.
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In response, Wolff replied: “Kimi, all good. All good, Kimi.”
Antonelli, who has been with Mercedes since he was 11 years of age, was touted as one of a number of candidates to replace Hamilton after the seven-time champion announced he would be joining Ferrari in 2025.
Driving the Mercedes car in front of his home fans will have been a special moment for the teenager.
And Wolff said: “Qualifying with Kimi in Monza will be emotional because we have followed him since he was 11.
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“Having an Italian kid in a competitive car, everybody in Italy can be proud.”
Antonelli began karting at the age of just seven and won the CIK-FIA Karting European Champion in both 2020 and 2021.
He then made his debut in single-seaters for Prema Racing in the Italian F4 Championship three weeks after turning 15.
He has a number of wins to his name in F4, along with the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship.
Antonelli is also currently contesting the Formula 2 Championship for Prema.
Wolff has said of him: “Since working together, Kimi has ticked all the boxes.
“But not only that, I really like him as a boy, and as a personality, and he has a fantastic family environment around him that helps him always keep his feet on the ground.
“He has a great talent and can count on the important values that come from his family.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
