Final August forward of the Italian Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced that Andrea Kimi Antonelli would slide into the seat vacated by Lewis Hamilton, making him the third-youngest driver in System 1 historical past. The announcement got here simply days after Antonelli’s 18th birthday.
Whereas that’s actually one thing to rejoice, the younger driver reached one other milestone just lately.
Passing his driving check.
Antonelli shared a photograph on social media Monday asserting that he had handed his driving check. With the caption “Mission accomplished,” Antonelli was seen giving a thumbs up from the driving force’s seat of a Volkswagon Golf, a automotive with significantly much less horsepower than the W16 he’ll take to the monitor subsequent season.
F1 historical past is stuffed with humorous tales of drivers struggling to cross their street driving check. Max Verstappen, for instance, joked just lately that he virtually failed his first examination. “The examiner advised me to go proper and I went left,” Verstappen recalled final 12 months. “Then I didn’t give manner [to pedestrians at a crossing]. He was not very joyful. I argued with him as a result of I believed they weren’t really on the crossing.
“I did, yeah, fortunately [pass]. It might be fairly embarrassing if I hadn’t. I believe he was good to me.”
Jenson Button was not as fortunate. The 2009 F1 Drivers’ Champion failed his preliminary check as a result of he was in “racing mode,” based on his teacher.
As for Antonelli, his profitable check comes forward of his first full-time season in F1. It additionally comes after a change within the FIA laws which might have required him to acquire a street license forward of driving in F1. After Verstappen made his F1 debut at simply 17 years outdated, the FIA instituted a regulation that required drivers to be 18 and maintain a sound driver’s license. Nonetheless, the FIA eliminated that regulation final June, prompting hypothesis that it will open the door for Antonelli to make his debut final season.
Whereas that didn’t occur, Antonelli is primed for his debut with Mercedes this season with a street license in his pocket, alongside along with his FIA Tremendous License.
