Andrea Kimi Antonelli made his highly-anticipated Formula 1 debut with Mercedes during the first free practice session at this year’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

During the event, Mercedes also confirmed that the young Italian would join their driver lineup for the 2025 season, replacing Lewis Hamilton, who is leaving for Ferrari.

Although Antonelli has shown impressive speed and talent, Mercedes initially hesitated due to his struggles with consistency during longer races. However, over the summer, Antonelli focused on improving these areas, and his efforts convinced the team he was ready for the challenge, even saying that he wants to fight for race wins in 2025.

With Antonelli stepping in as Hamilton’s replacement and George Russell taking the lead role, the team is facing something completely new.

Even though, Antonelli has already gained experience through testing and practice sessions, his Monza run included a crash while driving Russell’s car, which has raised questions about his readiness.

Despite this, Mercedes has high hopes for the rookie, who has been compared to Max Verstappen due to his success in junior racing categories.

Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged that 2025 will be a learning year for Antonelli. He also highlighted that the team’s focus will be on helping him grow while staying competitive at the front of the grid. With new regulations coming in 2026, Wolff sees this as a chance to build a strong foundation for the future.

"Obviously, 2025 is the same regulations and you can see that the pecking order varies depending on the track," said Wolff quoted by RacingNews365.

"I think the opportunity is there to fight for victories, and if you can do that, you will fight for the championship.

"George will settle in as the leading and senior driver, and Kimi is going to learn, and sometimes we will tear our hair out, and other times, we will see moments of brilliance.

"But it is going to be a year of managing expectations for Kimi and preparing our driver line-up for 2026.

"When you look at the wins this year, Red Bull’s year was defined by victories at the beginning of the year, but you will have better data if you look from half the year with four teams really close.

"McLaren won six, Ferrari five, us four and Red Bull [nine]. 

"I would love to be in the fight with the other teams, we'd love to compete for victories on merit, but it is not a given, it is absolutely something we need to fight for."