Former F1 driver explains why Kimi Antonella’s opportunity is ‘so important’

Andrea Kimi Antonelli is one of the most anticipated drivers to make his full-time debut in the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The 18-year-old got his first taste of an F1 weekend in front of a home crowd at Monza, driving for Mercedes, although Antonelli later suffered an embarrassing crash just 10 minutes into the practice session while pushing for a fast lap on the dirty track surface.

In the laps leading up to the accident, the Italian was showing impressive pace, which saw him overtake Max Verstappen in the speed traps by the end of the session.

The accident has sparked some debate over the promotion, especially as Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, but former F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi believes the appointment will be important for the future of Italy’s motorsport stars, speaking to F1.com.

Vitantonio Liuzzi explains why Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be important for Italy

Liuzzi raced in F1 between 2005 and 2011 and is one of only three Italian drivers, before Antonelli, to have raced in the top class of motorsport.

During this period he accumulated 26 points from 80 F1 starts, twice achieving the best result of sixth place with Force India (now Aston Martin).

He explained why the Italian’s presence on the grid would be an important moment for Antonelli and his home country, given his rich history in F1.

“We missed an Italian on the F1 grid – that’s very important,” said Liuzzi.

“Italy is a historic country for motorsport. In addition to the Grand Prix, we have historic brands, great brands, so it’s important to keep people’s passion high.

“It’s amazing that we have this opportunity (with) an Italian back on the grid and I think he will have a lot of support from Italy because there is a lot of passion for F1 in the country.”

Photo: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images

Helmut Marko warns Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is known for being tough on drivers and recently said that Antonelli’s success is “not guaranteed” and predicts the Italian will need to deliver results early in his Mercedes career.

Mercedes has only four wins in the last three years and is currently trying to get back to the front of the grid after a winless 2023.

READ MORE: Who is Mercedes academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything worth knowing

There were signs of improvement in 2024 with victories for both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, but this trend stopped in the second half of the season.

Peter Windsor believes Antonelli needs to learn from Hamilton rather than Russell, given he has a similar driving style to the seven-time world champion, to make an early impact for Mercedes.