F1
Mercedes Junior Kimi Antonelli Crashes Minutes into F1 Practice Debut at Monza
Kimi Antonelli experiences a crash shortly after starting his first F1 practice session with Mercedes
Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli suffered a crash during his initial Formula 1 practice session at Monza.
Mercedes' young talent, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, experienced a crash only a few minutes into his first Formula 1 practice session at the Italian Grand Prix.
The young driver, aged 18, who is widely expected to take over from Lewis Hamilton as he moves to Ferrari next season, crashed into the barriers at Parabolica just under 10 minutes into the first practice session on Friday at Monza.
Antonelli had posted a time that placed him fourth in the initial FP1 rankings and had just achieved the fastest middle sector before he lost control of George Russell's Mercedes at the last turn.
The Italian driver emerged unscathed from the crash, though it signifies a less-than-perfect beginning to the weekend for the Mercedes team.
At the moment when Antonelli's incident caused the session to be halted with a red flag, Hamilton, in the second Mercedes, was the quickest driver on the circuit.
Antonelli's accident was a significant setback to his ambitions of performing well in his home country, Italy.
In front of his fellow countrymen, his initial stint in an official F1 season concluded in disappointment.
The weekend began poorly for Antonelli, who was likely hoping to secure his spot as a Mercedes driver for the 2025 season.
Hamilton's move to Ferrari next year has led Mercedes to search for a new driver throughout the entire season.
As the 2025 F1 driver roster nears completion with just a handful of spots left, Mercedes appears to have no other options and looks set to support the exceptionally talented Antonelli.
Wolff's enduring trust in Antonelli has been likened to Red Bull's choice to place a young Max Verstappen in the driver's seat.
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