1996 F1 world champion Damo♈n Hill believes Andrea Kimi Antonelli is now showing “the signs of brilliance” Mercedes keep “talking about” after a tricky start to life in F2.

Antonelli is the Mercedes wonderkid looking to replace 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton alongside 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell for the 2025 F1 season.

The 17-year-old is the heavy favourite to take the seat with reports in the It♓alian press suggesting an announcement could be made at Monza next month.

Antonelli is only seventh in the ♎F2 standi𝓰ngs, 78 points off Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar.

But despite F2 being a spec series - where all the cars are meant to be identical - some teams have been struggling more🃏 than others.

Antonelli sits comfortably ahead of Prema teammate Oliver Bearman, who will race for Haa𒉰s in F1 next year.

Speaking on the latest episode of🌌 the , Hill commented on Antonelli’s progreﷺss in F2.

“I think he’s showing signs of thไe brilliance they keep talking about,” Hill said.

“They’ve obviously upped the rhetoric on Antonelli. We♊ were struggling to see what the꧋y were talking about, I have to say early on.

“The team he’s with, Prema, haven’t got🥃 their car sorted so he’s been finding it difficult, as has Ollꦕie Bearman, to compete in F2 but he’s put in a few good performances recently.”

In the most recent F2 round at Spa, Antonelli pulled off a stunning move🤪 in the wet into Eau Roug♉e on Franco Colapinto.

Hill thinks Antonelli will only co✅ntinue to impress in the second half of the yea♚r.

“I didn’t see it but I think in the sprint race which they ran for only seven laps at Spa, I think he pulled o𓆉ff a bit of a move w𝓰hich everyone was talking about,” he added.

“When you get those frissons of pundits saying ‘did you see that? that was pretty impressive’. Then you know that he’s starting to matuꦗre and show this form, this talent that we’ve heard so much about.

“Definitely t🌊hink, give him another half a season or something…”