The crucial traits of Andr🐬ea Kimi Antonelli - who may replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes - have been identified.

The🐈 vacant drive that Hamilton will leave behind when he goes to Ferrari in 2025 is one of just four seats still to be filled next year.

It is likely that teenager Antonelli, currently 🌸in Form𒁃ula 2, will be promoted to F1 in Hamilton’s place.

The Italian, 17, has been re💫garded as a prodigious talent💯 for years.

Antonelli “had the pick of F1 driver academy offers in his inbox at the agꦦe of just 1▨3,” F2 commentator Alex Jacques told F1.com.

After he chose Mercedes to guide his career, Antonelli displayed “incredible touch and control” to win at Zandvoort (sce♕ne of this weekend’s F1 return) in a title-winning FRECA championship.

This victory at Zandvoort in difficult c🐷ondi๊tions was a hint to future F1 team bosses that he possessed the skill to step up, Jacques believes.

“Performance in the wet can exem꧅pliওfy exceptional talent,” he said.

Antonelli has also p💦roven a “calmness 🍨beyond his years” on the race track, Jacques says.

He insisted: “Calmness and adaptability are two vital traits🌠 fo𒐪r a modern driver.”

Mercedes opted to bypass Formula 3 and throw Antonelli straight ♊into Formula 2 ⭕this season.

He joined Prema who have aided the developmen﷽t of Pierreꦦ Gasly, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher and Oscar Piastri.

Piastri, notably, won F2 in his rookie year while undergoing a testing programme aimed at ꧋F1. Antonelli has balanced F2 this year with testing Mercedes F1 cars.

In the wet, again, at Silverstone Antonelli claimed his first F1 race vict𒀰ory. He also won the F2 feature race in Hunga꧋ry.

Those two victories are “mere hints of a talent that was expected tꦿo be so obvious that Formula 1 ജpromotion was unarguable,” Jacques insisted.

Antonelli has “incredible core s𒁏peed, a calm head and rapid adaptability” which he plans to bring into F1 next season, Ja🐠cques said.

He look🍌s set to enter wi🐠th a team who are rejuvenated.

Mercedes have won three of the past four grands prixဣ, twice through Hamilton.

If they can maintain their form and win more races this year, the pressu෴re on Aღntonelli arguably increases if he gets the nod to replace Hamilton.

But Toto Wolff has made little secret of 🌞his admiration for the teenager’s talent.

Mercedes could have the next Max Ver♐stap🦩pen on their hands.