Why Kimi Andrea Antonelli’s rise feels more Lewis Hamilton than Max Verstappen

It’s easy to look at Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s trajectory and throw around Max Verstappen comparisons.

Young. Fiercely talented. Skipped a junior category. Thrown into the deep end of Formula 1.

But while the surface-level similarities are convenient, they completely miss the essence of what makes Antonelli’s story unique - and who it actually mirrors - Lewis Hamilton.

Calculated chaos vs the Mercedes method

Let’s be honest, the Verstappen comparison has always felt a bit lazy.

The Dutchman was fast-tracked to F1 after just one year in single-seaters, yes. But his jump was calculated chaos - a Red Bull gamble with high risk and, eventually, massive reward.

Antonelli’s rise, on the other hand, feels more deliberate. More methodical. More…Mercedes.

Just like Hamilton’s.

Both were snapped up by Mercedes at a young age. Both came with that prodigy tag. And both entered Formula 1 with the weight of legacy on their shoulders.

For Hamilton, it was rewriting history as the first Black driver in the sport and carrying the McLaren-Mercedes torch.

For Antonelli, it’s stepping into a seat vacated by arguably the greatest of all time. The pressure isn’t just on - it’s suffocating.

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The question mark

Speaking to SambaSlots, Johnny Herbert recently admitted that he wasn’t fully convinced by Antonelli’s F2 campaign, noting that “he had some good races, then he was all over the place.”

“He’s done tens of thousands of kilometres up until that first race in Australia on the simulator, so he's done more laps than probably anybody has. But it is paying off, and he is doing a good job,” Herbert added.

“His race pace has been pretty impressive at the same time, but he still hasn't really beaten George yet. That’s got to be his next step.”

That last part matters. Antonelli is racing against a proven, polished, consistently performing teammate in George Russell - not unlike Hamilton’s debut against reigning champion Fernando Alonso in 2007.

And while Antonelli hasn't landed a knockout blow yet, he’s clearly learning fast. That’s what Mercedes values: progression, not perfection.

Different, yet the same

Where Verstappen burst into F1 with brute force and raw edge, Antonelli is showing the kind of maturity you don’t usually get from an 18-year-old.

He’s not spitting fire on the radio. He’s not demanding headlines. He’s just putting his head down and grafting - much like Hamilton did when the spotlight first hit.

Even off-track, the resemblance is eerie. Young Hamilton broke his wrist just weeks before a major karting championship and still turned up to race?

Antonelli did the same after a wrist fracture in karting back in 2019, only he didn’t cover his injury up like Hamilton did.

Toto Wolff himself has hinted at the parallels. “The project that inspired me more is the one that is more similar to Hamilton's career,” he said.

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