Mercedes are reportedly set to sign Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the teenager got the better of George Russell in a testing session.
Antonelli, 17, is a Mercedes academy driver and is extremely highly rated. He races in Formula 2 this season having skipped F3 level altogether because of his remarkable record of success in other junior categories.
Mercedes have stepped up the teenager's testing programme this year and are pleased with what they have seen. The Silver Arrows are said to have been especially impressed with his performance in a test session earlier this month.
Antonelli took to the track alongside Mick Schumacher and current Mercedes driver Russell. And, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, the youngster showed better pace than both over a long run.
Mercedes made it clear ahead of that test that the results alone would not decide who gets the vacant seat when Lewis Hamilton leaves for Ferrari. But RacingNews365 claims Antonelli is now the clear preferred choice for the team.
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That's despite Toto Wolff 's public attempts to convince Max Verstappen to walk away from in-crisis defending champions Red Bull. The Dutchman, though, has made it clear that he has no immediate plans to change teams and has a contract until 2028.
Antonelli has enough points to qualify for an FIA superlicence thanks to his success in the junior formulae. However, F1 rules dictate he cannot race in the sport until at least his 18th birthday on August 25.
The FIA confirmed earlier this month that it had received a request for a special exemption to be given to the teenager. Mercedes denied having made that request and it is understood that customer team Williams are keen on the idea of taking Antonelli for a season if the Silver Arrows decide against signing him for 2025.
F1's governing body has the power to grant such an exemption, but it seems unlikely that the FIA will do so this time. In any case, the preference from the racer's side would be to at least complete his first season in F2.
Antonelli would have hoped at the beginning of the year that his campaign would have gone better than it has so far. He is sixth in the standings with 48 points after the first 10 races of the year, having been hampered by his Prema team's struggles this season.
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