George Russell admits that Mercedes’s new teammate, Kimi Antonelli, has an unusual skill that is really “surprised”

Mercedes decided to replace the seven -time world champion with a pilot less than half of his age: Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli has had a race race so far, jumping completely and only spent a season in Formula 2.

He finished sixth in the championship last year, behind the rookies Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, but scoring more points than the teammate of Prema and the new Haas Oliver Bearman pilot.

Mercedes I have been considering Antonelli as a future F1 star for some time, with people like Frederic Víti and Mick Schumacher jumped by the teenager in his driver program.

Antonelli has performed thousands of kilometers of private tests And while that would have helped learn everything about Mercedes F1 cars, it is not a substitute to compete against some of the best pilots in the world.

Russell already trusts that Antonelli will be fast this yearBut in an interview on the team’s YouTube channel, he admitted that there is one thing he has seen of the 18 -year -old from the track that really surprised him.

George Russell ‘Surprised’ by Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Russell asked Antonelli what belongs to his people, but before the Italian young man could answer, he said: “I would say that one thing you have surprised me (with), to be honest, it is, like You speak.

Antonelli replied and said: “No, it really is what most people tell me, to be honest!

“In addition, some Italians are surprised by my English.”

Russell congratulated his new teammate and continued: “Yes, your English is good! And they could be a little injured by how good your English is. “

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 Driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, including statistics

Antonelli explained: “Yes, because I have to be honest, we Italians are not really good in English.

“We are really good with the gestures of the hands, of course. So, when we go to a country and we really don’t know how to speak the language, we talk to our hands. “

George Russell could be the dark horse in the Formula 1 2025 driver championship

While the team director Toto Wolff is lowering the initial expectations in Antonelli Upon entering his first season of Formula 1, Russell will be able to challenge the front of the network this year.

It would be a mistake to say that Russell was in Hamilton’s shadow in Mercedes in the last three years.

He supposed the 40 -year -old most of the time last year and ended in front of him in the pilot championship.

READ MORE: Mercedes George Russell’s driver’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

However, although Mercedes will not ignore the needs of Antonelli in 2025, Russell has the opportunity to put his seal on the team in the same way that Max Verstappen has in Red Bull.

If McLaren and Ferrari drivers divide points between them on a regular basis, that gives Russell and the opportunity to capitalize even if they are in a little slower cars.

All will be revealed during the preseason tests and the first race in Australia in terms of whether that will be possible, but Russell will recognize that he has the opportunity to lead only a higher F1 team that does not occur very often.