Here's the new Mercedes W16, Kimi Antonelli's first F1: "I worked hard, I'm ready"

A new chapter, the goal of returning to fight for the title, one more Italian in the engine. The Mercedes challenge for the 2025 World Championship officially began today, with the presentation of the W16, the single-seater with which the Stuttgart team launches its challenge to McLaren , Ferrari and Red Bull , in strict order of the Constructors' standings for the 2024 championship. And for us Italians it will be a very curious challenge because at the wheel, together with the confirmed George Russell , there will be the debut of Andrea Kimi Antonelli , the 18-year-old from Bologna for whom team principal Toto Wolff is crazy, to the point of having chosen him as a replacement for his majesty Lewis Hamilton, who as is known has moved to Ferrari.

Kimi was signed by Mercedes when he was racing karts and was brought up with the aim of reaching the top flight. He rose quickly through the junior categories, winning titles in F4, Formula Regional and going straight to Formula 2 in 2024, skipping Formula 3. Expecting everything all at once will not be possible, but he is obviously very ambitious and excited about this challenge: "I am thrilled to make my F1 debut this year," said Kimi. "It is a great opportunity and I am very grateful to everyone at Mercedes for the trust and support they have given me. I have worked hard over the winter to be as ready as possible and now I can't wait to get started. My goal is to continue learning, be consistent and do the best job I can for the team. I am delighted to be working with George (Russell; ed.), we are already getting along well and it is fantastic to have the support of someone who has followed the same path in the youth categories. He is an incredibly strong driver and together I think we will be a great pair."

Toto Wolff is not keen to put too much pressure on his driver: "Kimi has all the talent needed to achieve great things at the top of the sport, but this will be his rookie season and there will inevitably be ups and downs. We are looking forward to this journey together and helping him develop over the course of the year. Everyone in the team, in Brackley and Brixworth, has worked hard over the winter. Last season was incredibly competitive on track and, while we achieved a number of wins, our aim is to challenge for wins more consistently. We have made progress over the winter break, but it will only be at the first race in Australia that we will truly know where we stand compared to the others. We have an exciting line-up to help us achieve our goals. Both drivers have come through the ranks in our junior programme, which demonstrates our commitment to supporting and developing talent. George has proven himself to be one of the best drivers on the grid, capable of challenging for the World Championship if we provide him with the right car. As the most experienced driver, he will lead the team forward and help Kimi with his development."

Regarding the W16, James Allison explained the philosophy behind the new car: "Being in the fourth year of these chassis regulations, the cars are at a more mature stage," said the technical director. "Big gains in lap time are harder to come by, but we have focused on improving the areas that penalised us last year. The main focus has been on addressing the W15's slight struggle to turn in the slow corners, along with the imbalance in tyre temperatures that made the car inconsistent from session to session." The work has focused on a major aerodynamic overhaul, a new front suspension and further changes to the floor and underbody. "We are pleased with the progress we have made over the winter," added Allison. "We are looking forward to seeing where we stand against the competition."