Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he has no concerns over offering up his Mercedes car to Kimi Antonelli for FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend. His successor at the Brackley-based team crashed George Russell’s W15 during his debut outing in Monza earlier this year.
Following on from the Monza crash, Antonelli will make his second FP1 outing this weekend, having already been confirmed as Russell’s team-mate for the 2025 campaign. By replacing Hamilton, the Italian teenager will be completing Mercedes’ rookie free practice requirements for the season.
Antonelli’s maiden FP1 outing was a mixed bag. On his first lap, he caught the attention of the motorsport world, going fastest of all drivers with a blistering time. But on his second tour around the iconic Monza circuit, he suffered a heavy crash at the Parabolica corner. Despite this, Hamilton has no concerns that there will be a repeat in Mexico.
“I don’t really personally [have any concerns],” Hamilton said when asked about handing his car over to Antonelli. “Again, going into Monza, we didn’t approach it in that way, I think Kimi is young and he’s learnt from his first outing in Monza.
“We did our briefing together today, because obviously he’s working with Bono next year and obviously tomorrow, and I’m here to support in any way I can. I think what’s key is, and as I spoke to him, he doesn’t have to set the world alight on the first lap.
“[He needs to] just build into it and enjoy it. I told him the track is really dirty early on, and whatever we’re faced with, we’ll handle it, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem today.”
Antonelli isn’t the only rookie taking to the track in FP1 on Friday. Robert Shwartzman will complete Sauber’s duties for the season, while Felipe Drugovich will step behind the wheel of the AMR24 for the first time, having helped develop the car in his test and reserve role.
Most notable, however, is the presence of Pato O’Ward. The Mexican driver is a seven-time race winner in the IndyCar series and came within a lap of winning the Indy500 earlier this year. He will replace Lando Norris on Friday, giving the bumper home crowd a second national hero to cheer on from the grandstands.
“It’s not just about him, he’s playing a bigger role, he’s not going to be in Formula One this year or next year, his role is helping us as a team, that’s his job, and he gets a cool experience of coming and performing in his home crowd,” Norris said when asked about the man replacing him in FP1.
