(Reuters) – Italian Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old rookie replacing seven times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season, has passed his driving test.
“Mission completed,” Mercedes posted on their Instagram account, with ticks for both super licence and driving licence, above a photo of Antonelli giving a thumbs up in a driving school car.
The Italian turned 18, the minimum age to drive on public roads in Italy, last August. He has already had extensive tests in Formula One machinery.
Hamilton, the most successful driver of all time with 105 grand prix wins and 104 pole positions, has moved to Ferrari with Antonelli stepping up alongside George Russell at Mercedes.
The season starts in Australia on March 16 with Antonelli one of several rookies moving up from Formula Two. Mercedes are due to launch their 2025 car on Feb. 24, two days before the start of testing in Bahrain.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
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