Kimi Antonelli has reached a major milestone ahead of his debut season in Formula 1.
The Italian driver is set to line up on the grid for Mercedes this year as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
Hamilton joined Ferrari at the end of the 2024 campaign, leaving an empty seat alongside George Russell.
Antonelli will now fill that seat this year, starting at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Ahead of his debut, the 18-year-old has revealed he has passed his driving test in his native Italy.
In a picture shared to his Instagram story, Antonelli posed in the driver’s seat of a driving school car as he gave a thumbs up to the camera.
Alongside the image, he wrote: “Mission completed,” with a pair of crying laughing emojis.
Antonelli is set to become the third youngest F1 driver in history when he takes to the grid in Melbourne on March 16.
At 18 years and 203 days, only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were younger at the time of their first race.
Meanwhile, Antonelli has already been compared to reigning world champion Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver holds the record for youngest F1 debutant, having been 17 years old when he competed in the 2015 Australian Grand Prix – despite not holding a driving license.
Verstappen has gone on to win four Drivers’ Championships and is chasing a record fifth title in a row in 2025.
instagram / @kimi.antonelliAntonelli announced he passed his driving test on Instagram[/caption]
He has also picked up 63 race wins from his 209 starts across the last 10 seasons.
As for Antonelli, he spent last year competing in Formula 2, where he won two races in 26 starts for Prema.
The teenager also appeared in practice for Mercedes at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.
Antonelli penned a one-year deal with the team to replace Hamilton alongside Russell for the upcoming season.
