Kimi Antonelli will make the jump to F1 next year, partnering George Russell at Mercedes at just 18 years of age.
George Russell has backed Andrea Kimi Antonelli to “keep me on my toes” during next year's F1 campaign.
Mercedes confirmed last weekend that Antonelli will make the step-up to F1 alongside Russell, replacing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Antonelli has spiralled up the racing ladder, skipping Formula 3 this year to take part in his rookie Formula 2 campaign.
The Italian has long been touted as one of the best young prospects in racing, winning various championships under the guidance of Mercedes.
Russell has hailed Antonelli's speed and has backed him to improve as he gains F1 experience.
“I've always believed that you gain a lot of the time with experience, in terms of how to deal with a race weekend, the tyres, the team,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.
“But I don't believe I'm any faster today on raw pace than I was when I was 17 years old.
“You’ve either got the speed or you don't have the speed, and Kimi absolutely has the speed, he’s proven that in all of his categories.”
Russell expecting F1 'mistakes' from Antonelli
Antonelli made his FP1 debut at Monza last weekend, stepping in for Russell during the one-hour session.
However, the outing lasted just 10 minutes as a mistake at the final corner saw Antonelli spin into the barrier at high speed.
Russell played down the significance of the crash as he highlighted the common nature of inexperienced drivers making errors.
“There will be mistakes on the way, as there were for all of us,” he said.
“I think every single driver on the grid in Formula 1 in their first couple of seasons made very visual mistakes and that's going to be obviously highlighted more for any driver who's at the front of the field.
“But Kimi's exceptionally fast and I've got no doubt he's going to be really keeping me on my toes next year. I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do together from next year onwards.”
