“Such a great experience”: Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton replacement getting familiar with inner workings of the Silver Arrows

Lewis Hamilton's future replacement, Kimi Antonelli, recently talked about his trip to Mercedes factories in Brixworth and Brackley. The young Italian was delighted to know more about the team he would make his F1 debut with.

After Ferrari announced that they had recruited Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 F1 season, Mercedes was compelled to hunt for a successor. Rumors circulated that the Silver Arrows were considering drivers such as Max Verstappen of Red Bull, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, and their young driver Kimi Antonelli. They ultimately chose to offer their protégé the seat.

Mercedes also granted Antonelli the chance to make his F1 debut at his home race, the Italian Grand Prix, prior to announcing him as their permanent driver. The Italian drove George Russell's car in the FP1 session at Monza. However, he retired from the session after crashing at the Parabolica turn. Despite his crash, Mercedes chose to offer him the position for 2025.

On October 1, the team's official X handle posted a video where Kimi Antonelli recorded himself and explained how he met engineers and team members in both Brixworth and Brackley. He expressed his delight in meeting the entire team who will be developing a new car for him in 2025.

"Busy day today, just came back from Brixworth where I saw the factory and I met a lot of people. It was incredible to see how much work and how many people are working behind the engine, and it was such a great experience. So I'm looking forward to get back," Antonelli said.

"Now I'm back in Brackley. Just had a chat with the factory, another great moment. It was cool to speak to them all ahead of next year as well," he added.

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Kimi Antonelli does not want to be seen as Lewis Hamilton's replacement

Though Kimi Antonelli will essentially be replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025, the Italian youngster said he does not want to be seen as the seven-time world champion's replacement.

Speaking to F1.com, he initially claimed that Lewis Hamilton is such a massive figure in the sport that he cannot be replaced by anyone. He then added that he wants to be seen as a new Mercedes driver rather than Hamilton's replacement. Furthermore, Antonelli praised the 39-year-old Brit for helping and supporting him.

“I think it’s not possible to replace Lewis Hamilton. He’s such a great figure in the sport of today, and he has achieved so much in his career, so I don’t want to [be seen] as his replacement – I’m just the next driver for Mercedes in ’25, so I’m really excited for that. He’s a really great guy, he has been giving me some support so, yeah, really happy,” Antonelli said.

Kimi Antonelli is currently racing in the F2 Championship with Prema Racing alongside Oliver Bearman, who is Ferrari's junior driver set to make his F1 season debut with Haas in 2025.