WATCH: Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli pulls off a stunning overtake at Eau Rouge in wet F2 sprint race

Kimi Antonelli's stunning move in the wet during the 2024 F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race left fans in a frenzy. The Mercedes prodigy went side-by-side with Franco Colapinto at Eau Rouge and pulled off a scintillating overtake down the Kemmel Straight.

The FIA Formula 1 arrived at Spa-Francorchamps for the annual Belgian Grand Prix, and Formula 2 and Formula 3 followed suit. This was the 10th race weekend in F2, and the Sprint race took place on Saturday as per the schedule.

In Lap 2 of the race, Jak Crawford pulled off a surprising move on Colapinto to secure P5 from him. This left the MP Motorsport driver in a vulnerable position against Antonelli, who dived inside, placed his car beautifully, and completed the overtake.

However, the F2 Sprint Race was red-flagged and was later suspended due to heavy rain. The FIA brought in the Safety Car initially after Josep Maria Marti came to a halt in his Campos. By the time the stewards were able to clear the car, rain had intensified, and the race came to an end.

Zak O'Sullivan of ART Grand Prix claimed the win ahead of Dennis Hauger of MP Motorsports and Richard Verschoor of Trident. Since the race did not cover 50% of its distance, only the top five received points.

Kimi Antonelli finished the race in P6, ahead of his Prema Racing teammate Oliver Bearman. The Italian driver stands in P6 in the championship with 85 points. Red Bull's junior driver Isack Hadjar continues to lead the standings with 140 points.

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Mercedes to bring Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement?

James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams talks with Kimi Antonelli of Italy, and Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes Driver Program Advisor (Image via Getty)

According to the latest reports, Kimi Antonelli could move up to F1 next season as Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes. The young Italian driver has been a name to reckon with in F2, and as per Joe Saward, Toto Wolff might put him beside George Russell in 2025.

"It is now virtually certain that Mercedes will soon name Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in 2025," Saward wrote. "In the last couple of weeks, Antonelli has come on strong in Formula 2, winning the Sprint race in Silverstone with aplomb and then driving to an assured victory in the Feature race in Budapest."

"His testing results with Mercedes are being suppressed (deliberately) to avoid building up expectations, but any doubts there were seem to have gone, even if the team keeps saying nothing is yet decided, the soon-to-be 18-year-old is clearly a prodigious talent, who will be a star of the future in F1."

However, there is still time for Mercedes to look for alternatives, such as Carlos Sainz and Mick Schumacher. It will be interesting to see if the Silver Arrows opt for a young driver over an experienced one.