Many inside the paddock regard Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the next Max Verstappen, according to BBC F1 reporter Andrew Benson.
17-year-old Antonelli made his Formula 2 debut in Bahrain last weekend, having won multiple titles at lower levels.
And Benson says he’s already generating a huge level of excitement behind the scenes.
Having clinched the Italian F4 Championship in 2022, he topped the Formula Regional series in Europe and the Middle East last year.
Antonelli was only able to score one point in his maiden F2 weekend but will hope to perform better in Saudi Arabia as he becomes more comfortable.
Mercedes have been so impressed by their academy driver that they’re thought to be considering him for a race seat in 2025.
Lewis Hamilton is leaving the Silver Arrows at the end of the season to join Ferrari.
Andrew Benson says Andrea Kimi Antonelli is drawing Max Verstappen comparisons
Writing in a Q&A for BBC Sport, Benson revealed that many Formula 1 insiders believe Antonelli is a talent on the same level as a young Verstappen.
The ‘extremely highly-rated’ teenager is in contention to replace Hamilton, though Toto Wolff could pursue the veteran Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso if he decides he’s not ready yet.
Verstappen himself is currently the ‘hottest candidate’ to make a sensational move, but a switch from Red Bull is still regarded as unlikely.
Antonelli could emulate Verstappen with first F1 step
Verstappen had only competed in one season of single-seating racing before Toro Rosso promoted him to Formula 1.
He’d finished third in the European F3 Championship, scoring seven pole positions, 10 wins and 16 podiums.
He was still 16 when Toro Rosso announced that he’d be replacing Jean-Eric Vergne for the 2025 season.
When he made his debut at the Australian Grand Prix the following year, he became the youngest driver in F1 history.
He’s since gone on to win 55 races and three world championships, while setting the record for the most victories in a season in 2023.
Antonelli, described elsewhere as the next Charles Leclerc, is a little older than the Dutchman was in 2014 but he could make a similarly rapid ascent.
If Mercedes opt for a more experienced hand to succeed seven-time champion Hamilton, then there may be other F1 options out there.
David Croft has suggested that he could spend two years at Williams, following in the footsteps of George Russell.
Likewise, Verstappen had to wait until the early part of the 2016 season before he graduated from midfield Toro Rosso to frontrunners Red Bull.
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