Toto Wolff’s quest for the best replacement for Lewis Hamilton took him into the F2 paddock. After all only a prodigy could fit in the shoes of a prodigy. While other experienced candidates in the driver market waited for a call from the Mercedes boss, F2 sensation Kimi Antonelli emerged as the top choice. The young Italian, the ‘next Max Verstappen’ in the making, has become the talk of the town since then.

Further solidifying his candidature for F1, the 17-year-old is now a maiden winner of the F2 feature race. Taking over the Hungaroring by storm, Antonelli declared his presence in motorsport. This outstanding performance by Toto’s reserve driver will surely put a smile to his face. However, is Kimi Antonelli ready to dominate F1?

Following his win, Antonelli was asked about his thoughts on debuting in F1 as early as next year. This is what he had to say: “F1? I don’t know if I would be ready honestly. I’m still making some mistakes, I’m learning.” Having bypassed F3, the Italian is yet to learn his way around the circuits. He further added: “It’s good to have [Ollie] Bearman as a partner though, I can learn a lot about him having missed F3, especially on the warm-up.” Both Antonelli and Bearman are teammates in F2, driving for Prema. While Bearman has signed for Haas F1, Antonelli’s F1 career is under speculation.

As of now, Kimi isn’t replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams. He is also not entering the Mercedes garage for next year unless Toto Wolff wishes to bring the element of surprise. Moreover, Antonelli’s F2 journey has been going great lately. So what was the Hungaroring F2 feature race like for the rookie?

Kimi Antonelli storms through Hungaroring to clinch his first feature race win

Just a few weeks ago, Kimi Antonelli won his first sprint race in Silverstone. And of course, the show wasn’t over. He returned to the Budapest circuit only to conquer it like a champ. The 37 laps race witnessed two safety car situations. Initially, Antonelli started from P7, meanwhile, his teammate Ollie Bearman‘s race began from P14. However, by lap 5, Bearman was up to the eighth place, with Antonelli fighting for P4.  On lap 7, Paul Aron and Maloney collided, bringing out the safety car. Antonelli moved in first as others pitted.

After the restart, the Italian maintained his lead, with a 6.3-second gap over Martins by lap 20, although he still needed to pit. On lap 22, Amaury Cordeel’s crash brought out the second safety car. Kimi Antonelli pitted for soft tires and rejoined in fifth place. After the safety car ended with ten laps remaining, the teenager quickly moved to P2 and then took the lead using DRS. In the final 10 minutes, the Italian racer built an 11-second gap to secure victory. Antonelli’s smart driving and strategies gave him his desired results. What a brilliant race by the rookie!

Antonelli’s show in Hungary is a sign of his mastery, despite being new in F2. This also highlights his prospects in F1. While the 17-year-old himself feels he isn’t quite ready for the ultimate motorsport, it isn’t too long before he barges into the F1 paddock and steals the thunders of even the biggest names in the sport.

Is Kimi Antonelli ready for F1? Let us know your thoughts.