Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli shares his excitement for his rookie F1 season in 3-words

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli shared his excitement for the upcoming 2025 season as he unveiled his helmet for his rookie campaign. The Italian driver has been personally hand-picked by team principal Toto Wolff to replace seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The 18-year-old saw a lot of anticipation and created a media frenzy even before he took to the track as many in the paddock were excited to see him behind the wheel of an F1 car. Antonelli skipped the F3 category to race in F2 last year with Prema Racing but could only manage to finish P6 in the championship.

On his official Instagram, Antonelli shared a video of himself as he unveiled his sparkling lid ahead of his rookie campaign with the caption:

"Ready to race."

On Mercedes's official website, the young Italian shed an insight into his mentality on the track and spoke of his passion for the sport:

"When I'm at the racetrack, I can just fully lock-in. I am fully determined and passionate about this sport and what I do. When I drive, I am trying to do it by instinct. If I am doing an activity with my friends - paintballing or bowling - I focus and get very competitive, I will barely even talk to my friends at that moment!"

"But if I am at home, maybe even after a busy race weekend, I can just chill. I know how to keep myself calm and just do my own thing. Trying not to overthink and overstress everything puts you in a better mood and helps you get back focused," Kimi Antonelli added.

Antonelli will use the No. 12, which has a link to his racing hero, three-time F1 world champion Ayrton Senna.

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Kimi Antonelli gives his opinion on picking Ayrton Senna's No. 12

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has said he chose the No. 12 for his race car ahead of his rookie season to pay tribute to his hero and Brazilian legend Ayton Senna. As quoted by the above source, he shared a brief history attached to the number.

"It is because of Ayrton. But it is also the number I first used in single-seaters. From F4 I started to use 12 straight away and it worked pretty well with that number. Hopefully, I can carry that on in F1," Kimi Antonelli said.

Senna used the number during his first title-winning season in 1988 and won his first race with it in 1985. Antonelli's predecessor Lewis Hamilton also idolized Senna growing up and holds a special connection to Brazil, where he was made an honorary citizen in 2022.