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Mercedes F1’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli prepares to succeed, not replace, Lewis Hamilton

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Mercedes F1’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli prepares to succeed, not replace, Lewis Hamilton

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MONZA, Italy Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Formula One practice debut was over nearly as quickly as it started.

The 18-year-old driver topped the timesheets early during first practice ahead of the Italian Grand Prix; however, he soon lost control through Parabolica, the high-speed Turn 11, crashing into the tire barriers. The Formula Two driver was okay and walked away feeling like he learned a lesson “in a tough way.”

“I learned that I cannot go flat out looking for the limit straight away. Especially looking back, the track was very slippery. The grip was quite a bit lower than expected,” Antonelli said. “I was pushing too hard, for sure. For the next few times, I will just try to build the run more progressively instead of just trying to find the limit.”

Antonelli owned the mistake, but it came less than 24 hours before Mercedes announced the Italian would complete its 2025 driver lineup, making Antonelli the third confirmed rookie for next season.

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Antonelli experienced a rapid rise through the junior categories, including skipping a few stops along the way. His crash in FP1 wouldn’t have been the first time skeptics have wondered: is Antonelli, who turned 18 only a week ago, ready for the step up to F1?

Mercedes feels so.

“As a driver, you have the speed or you don’t have the speed. I’m very confident that Kimi has the speed. Everybody on their journey is going to make mistakes,” George Russell said Saturday. “That’s part of life and part of this sport. I have no doubt Kimi will learn from yesterday, but he’s definitely got the speed to help Mercedes get back to the front of the grid for next year and onwards, and that’s exactly why he’s going to be alongside me in the car next year.”

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Antonelli’s background

Antonelli’s ascent to F1 is similar to that of reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman went straight from Formula Three to an F1 seat in 2015, becoming the youngest driver to ever start a grand prix at age 17. Antonelli skipped F3 altogether and went straight to F2 in 2024 after being crowned champion in Formula Regional Europe and Formula Regional Middle East last year. It came after four consecutive title victories, dating back to 2020 (European karting twice, ADAC F4 and Italian F4).

Skipping a step in the motorsport ladder and fast-tracking a driver’s career isn’t the typical Mercedes approach. With Russell, for example, he competed at every level — F4, F3, F2 – before reaching F1. But as Antonelli ascended, skepticism followed.

Spectators and the media will likely analyze any mistake the young driver makes, particularly when racing for a front-running team.

“One of the main factors is that when you know you have a team like Mercedes around you that really believe in you, and they have been believing in me from a really young age, it really helps you to feel and to cope with this pressure really well,” Antonelli said when asked how he’s preparing to cope with the pressure.

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Marco Antonelli and Andrea Kimi Antonelli after Formula 2 Sprint Race at Silverstone Circuit in Northampton, Great Britain on July 6, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Even though sometimes I still don’t cope with that perfectly, I still get the right support from Mercedes but also from my family, so I’m really happy to be with them and really happy with the support they’ve been giving me. Not only in the past but nowadays.”

Antonelli was born in Bologna and comes from a family where both parents are involved in his career, a father (who has experience racing in European touring cars) with strong racing knowledge and a mother who continues to be supportive, Wolff said.

The Mercedes team boss discussed how humility and loyalty are essential qualities for the 18-year-old, sharing that the family remained committed to Mercedes despite rival teams pursuing him. “Marco Antonelli has always been clear: ‘You gave us the opportunity, and that’s why we are sticking with you.’”

And then, there’s Antonelli’s raw talent. There are qualities that you can’t teach a driver, and Wolff reiterated how “it’s easier to make someone calm down in terms of aggressiveness than the other way around.”

“James Allison actually said when (Antonelli) launched himself at the first lap (on Friday), the first braking into the chicane, he had both tires into the grass already,” Wolff continued. “So the difference between free practice and qualifying we have to discuss!

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“But that’s also Kimi. He’s putting the car into the ground, and (to) be able to crush — crush it, not crash it — it on the first lap is a great ability.”

A new era

It can be daunting walking into the sport as a rookie.

They have trained their whole lives for this moment, dreaming of reaching the pinnacle of motorsport, but dealing with the noise is a different story. Antonelli will join the grid as an 18-year-old, the third youngest F1 driver in history when he debuts in Australia, filling the vacancy left by one of the biggest names in the sport, Lewis Hamilton.

Antonelli doesn’t view his promotion as replacing the seven-time world champion but as starting a new chapter in Mercedes’ storied history.

“I think it’s not possible to replace Lewis Hamilton. He’s such a great figure in the sport of today and he has achieved so much in his career. So I don’t want to be seen as his replacement – I am just the next driver for Mercedes in 2025,” Antonelli said. “I’m really excited for that. But he is a really great driver, and he has been really giving some support, so I am really happy.”

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Hamilton has been with Mercedes for 12 seasons, establishing one of the longest driver-team relationships on the grid. The Briton shocked the F1 world when news broke he was moving to Ferrari from 2025. Wolff said he made up his mind on who would fill the vacancy five minutes after he spoke with Hamilton about his decision.

“We won eight constructors’ titles and six drivers’ titles together, and he is the biggest personality in the sport, with the biggest gravitas and international recognition, but he is also the one who has beaten all the records,” Wolff said. “When Lewis decided to go for another challenge, no one can replace him in all of his stature. But that doesn’t mean that the team is not going to prosper with two drivers that represent the future.”


Antonelli debriefs with Peter Bonnington at Monza. Bonnington is Hamilton’s long-time engineer and will serve the same role for Antonelli in 2025. (Pro Shots/Sipa USA)

Antonelli said he remained focused on delivering on his F2 campaign and testing of previous cars (TPC) while Wolff and Mercedes discussed his future. According to Antonelli and Wolff, he has done around 10 TPCs this year, including two at Red Bull Ring (it snowed during one), two at Barcelona, and one each at Imola, Spa and Silverstone. The team boss added, “We will continue with that, because when you look at the blueprint back in the day that Lewis gave, it was a lot of testing to prepare not only for the driving but also going through the race weekend preparation, it’s what we’ve done in the last one. So that program is going to continue.”

Mercedes did consider placing Antonelli at Williams as it did with Russell from 2019 to 2021, Wolff said. The team believed the testing program would better help Antonelli continue his F1 machinery education. Wolff added, “I think the more kilometers you do, especially in a car that is not great, the TPC car (which was the 2022 car) was not our best car, it’s going to get him between 15 and 20 days under his belt, and that’s important.”

Antonelli recently said he maybe wasn’t ready to leap to F1, but on Saturday, he said the TPC program helped him prepare. He began feeling better while driving the car and seeing improvement, such as in the long runs (which he said was a previous weak point). He admitted that he is still learning but added,  “Every time I got in the car, I feel so much better.”

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Mistakes happen. Plenty of the best drivers have misstepped in their careers, especially in the early days. What’s important and will shape the beginning of Antonelli’s career is how he learns and grows past his FP1 crash, making his name as part of a storied F1 team.

“That’s going to be a valuable lesson because it’s not about having fun in an F3 car in Silverstone in the rain,” Wolff said. “This is Formula One – there is a lot of responsibility that comes with it, for the best car brand in the world, for many thousands of people. And that’s why Kimi yesterday learned in a very, very hard way. I think that moment must have been very tough. And compromised George for his day and his weekend, and Kimi knows that.

“But sometimes, it needs to sting. Then it sticks.”

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Top photo: Sipa USA

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Hate ’em if you want, but Chiefs make no apologies while continuing pursuit of history

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Hate ’em if you want, but Chiefs make no apologies while continuing pursuit of history

Patrick Mahomes couldn’t help himself.

A couple hours after leading the Kansas City Chiefs to an AFC championship victory over the Buffalo Bills — a triumph that clinched the team’s third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl and the fifth in the last six seasons — Mahomes pulled out his cell phone, fired up the good ol’ Twitter/X app, loaded the iconic Kermit sipping tea meme and sent out the message: “I’ll see y’all in New Orleans! #ChiefsKingdom.”

It was a slick clapback. Kermit jokes are nothing new for Mahomes, who has long been ribbed for the way his unique voice reminds many of the Muppets star. During training camp, members of the Las Vegas Raiders mocked their divisional rival with a Kermit puppet wearing a curly wig and red No. 15 jersey. Mahomes got the last laugh in the form of a regular-season sweep. Ahead of the Chiefs’ regular-season road game against the Bills in November, some fans found humor in hanging a Kermit the Frog doll in a similar wig-and-jersey getup high above a street outside Highmark Stadium (the racist overtones many saw in the image are likely the reason it stuck in Mahomes’ mind).

Buffalo won that regular season game. However, Mahomes again laughed last, in the game that really mattered. He ripped out the hearts of the Bills and their fans with one of his most dominant performances of the season, ending Buffalo’s Super Bowl hopes for the fourth time in the last five years.

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Mahomes’ meme deployment represented both a good-natured rubbing of salt in the Bills’ wounds, and a wink directed at the increasing number of football fans who would love to see anyone but Mahomes and the Chiefs hoist yet another Lombardi Trophy.

The Chiefs have officially taken over as football’s Evil Empire. They replaced the New England Patriots, who under the direction of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady dominated the NFL for the better part of two decades. The Patriots won six Super Bowls while appearing in nine from 2002-19. One season after losing to those same Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship, Mahomes and the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl. Three years later, they won another, and then another, the first back-to-back champs since New England (in 2004 and ’05). And now they’re back in the Super Bowl again, going for an unprecedented three-peat.

It’s remarkable that dating back to Super Bowl XXXVI, played in February 2002, 14 of the last 24 Super Bowls have featured either the Patriots or the Chiefs, with New England winning six out of their nine appearances and the Chiefs winning three of four (with the outcome of the fifth to be determined). The dominance, however, has caused the Chiefs to — in the eyes of some fans — morph from fresh-faced underdogs into reviled power players whose prospect of continued success provokes feelings of nausea.

Is it logical? No.

Surprising? Not entirely.

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But there is a mindbending aspect to the speed at which some fans have turned on the Chiefs.

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Just a few short years ago, the Chiefs were viewed as the perfect antidote to decades of Patriots fatigue. They were everything New England was not.

Bill Belichick was the surly, personality-devoid leader of a franchise that required rigid adherence to the Patriot Way. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is the endearing, Hawaiian-shirt-wearing grandfatherly figure encouraging individuality while permitting his players to color outside of the lines.

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Non-Pats fans viewed Brady as arrogant, overly polished, calculated, demanding and robotic. Mahomes was unassuming, with a knack for making Houdini-esque escapes under pressure and delivering throws to any spot on the field — from every conceivable arm slot. Meanwhile, sidekick Travis Kelce was the fun-loving freelancer drawing as much praise for his colorful personality as he did his confounding route-running and clutch catches.

The Patriots’ critics branded them as cheaters because of the sign-stealing scandal and the Brady-related “Deflategate.” The Chiefs maintained a wholesome feel while building their dynasty through homegrown talent, smart financial moves and continuity both at the core of their roster and on their coaching staff.

Kansas City seemed to have the whole country behind them six years ago as they fell short against New England in that 37-31 overtime loss at Arrowhead Stadium, which preceded the final Lombardi trophy of the Patriots dynasty. And the Chiefs’ popularity only further skyrocketed the following season as Mahomes and Co. pulled off a comeback victory over San Francisco for the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1969 season.

Mahomes’ jersey became the NFL’s leading seller and his team took on a new crop of bandwagon fans. Kansas City and their quarterback and coach remained a marvel three seasons later as they rebounded from a Super Bowl loss to Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs to win a second Super Bowl a year later.

But somewhere between that second and third Super Bowl campaign, the feelings directed at Kansas City started to switch from fascination and fondness to fatigue and loathing. The distaste for the Chiefs has only increased this season.

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But why?

Is it envy over the way Mahomes always finds a way to get it done, winning 17 straight games decided by one score?

Is it the decrease of offensive fireworks as the Chiefs have reinvented themselves from a high-scoring machine to a defensive juggernaut, with Mahomes seemingly saving his difference-making plays for the closing minutes of games?

Is the off-the-field stuff, like the ubiquitous Reid-Mahomes commercials, or the constant coverage of Kelce’s relationship with pop icon Taylor Swift?

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All of the above? Probably.

Regardless, for many the rage has become blinding. That’s reflected in the silly-yet-increasingly popular school of thought that the Chiefs now receive preferential treatment from officials, part of a mandate from the NFL to ensure Kansas City wins another Super Bowl. Those who subscribe to this belief view every questionable penalty flagged against Kansas City’s opponents (a late hit as Mahomes slips out of bounds, a roughing the passer call as a foe grazes his helmet, a pass-interference flag to extend a drive) as evidence that the fix is in. They do so while, incredibly, ignoring all of the calls that officials botch in non-Chiefs games.

Those fans also never stop to consider a couple of other facts that would discredit their stance.

Young or poorly-constructed teams typically wilt in the most pressure-packed moments and tend to hurt themselves by committing ill-timed transgressions. Quality teams and coaches execute at their best in the face of pressure. So it should come as no surprise that the Chiefs — a franchise that, like New England during its reign, is as well-constructed and battle-tested as any in the league — don’t burn themselves at critical junctures. There’s nothing fluky about the bulk of those 17 one-score wins.

The NFL goes to great lengths to ensure parity — revenue sharing, salary cap, free agency, the draft process — because league officials know that competitive balance and an ever-changing slate of contenders and champions is good for business. It would make no sense to fix games for a small-market team like the Chiefs. If anything, the league would want to see the Jets and Giants, Bears and Cowboys emerge as juggernauts rather than trainwrecks.

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The haters seem to allow a blend of jealousy, boredom and obsession for the next big thing to cloud their critical thinking skills. And so, they parse through every play and every call in search of detracting factors. It’s the typical response of bitter fans of the hunters, directed at the hunted. Just ask the Patriots, Yankees, Dodgers, Lakers, Bulls, Golden State Warriors or any other dynasty.

If it’s not our team, we tire quickly of dominance. And rather than allow ourselves to appreciate historic feats, we distract ourselves with belly-aching, eye-rolling and teeth-gnashing over those unstoppable opponents.

In Mahomes, the NFL has a superstar piling up accomplishments at a rate that not even Brady proved capable of. Meanwhile, Reid continues to prove himself as one of the most creative masterminds in NFL history. How could you not appreciate such rare levels of greatness?

The Chiefs make no apologies for their excellence. By now, they’re a well-oiled machine powered by brilliant talent evaluators, creative coaches and special players willing to sacrifice to ensure that they have the best chance of extending what looks like another historic window of contention.

They’re also not bristling at all the hate. Instead, Mahomes and his teammates find it amusing. They embrace the role of the villain and continue their pursuit of history, which — sorry to break it to you — given the fact that Mahomes hasn’t even turned 30, could extend much longer.

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Hate on.

(Photo: Fernando Leon / Getty Images)

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2 NBA stars on the move in latest blockbuster deal: report

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2 NBA stars on the move in latest blockbuster deal: report

Two NBA stars are reportedly on the move Sunday, hours after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis earlier in the day.

The Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs were finalizing a deal involving De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine, ESPN reported.

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Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox calls out to teammates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Fox was traded to the Spurs and LaVine was traded to the Kings in the deal, according to the report. The Bulls will reportedly receive Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Heurter and a 2025 draft pick.

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The Kings guard is two seasons removed from his first All-Star appearance. He was averaging 25 points, 6.1 assists and five rebounds with the team before he was dealt. He has played for the Kings since the 2017-18 season.

LaVine, a two-time All-Star, had been with the Bulls since the 2017-18 season as well. He was mostly injured during the 2023-24 season but bounced back and played in 42 games this season. He’s averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images)

Fox will now pair up with Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs are 21-25 this season and are about three games behind the Golden State Warriors for 11th in the Western Conference.

LaVine will team up with Domantas Sabonis. The Kings are two seasons removed from their playoff run in 2023. Sacramento has seen changes this season and the Fox trade appeared to be the end of it. The team fired head coach Mike Brow and replaced him with Doug Christie.

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The Kings are in 10th in the West with a record of 24-24. Chicago is in 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-28 record.

Zach LaVine drives

Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, left, covers Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

San Antonio will also receive Jordan McLaughlin and the Kings will receive Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks and three second-round picks.

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After hometown World Series run, Jack Flaherty is heading back to Detroit

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After hometown World Series run, Jack Flaherty is heading back to Detroit

At the start of the offseason, Los Angeles native and Dodgers World Series champion Jack Flaherty voiced his desire to remain with his hometown team.

But it became clear long ago this winter that the Dodgers — who have replenished their rotation with marquee signings of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki — wouldn’t have the room to bring him back.

So, Flaherty decided to return to his other 2024 club instead.

On Sunday night, Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers, the team that sent Flaherty to the Dodgers at the trade deadline last season, agreed to a two-year contract for $35 million, ESPN reported. Flaherty, who posted a picture to X of himself in a Tigers uniform after the news broke, will make $25 million in 2025 and have a $10-million player option in 2026 — creating the possibility he will be back on the free-agent market again next winter.

It was a little over a year ago that Flaherty first signed with Detroit, joining the Tigers last offseason on a one-year deal.

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Once a budding ace with the St. Louis Cardinals, Flaherty was looking to rebuild his stock after injury troubles and inconsistent performance. And in Detroit, the right-hander staged the turnaround he was hoping for.

In the first half of the season, Flaherty posted a 7-5 record and 2.95 ERA in 18 starts. With the Tigers then on the fringes of the playoff picture (they would later rally down the stretch to earn a wild-card berth), Flaherty became one of the top starters available on the midseason trade market.

On deadline day, the New York Yankees nixed a potential deal for Flaherty because of reported concerns over his medical records. That opened the door for the Dodgers, who were in desperate need of pitching help after a wave of injuries ravaged their rotation, to swoop in at the last second and add the Harvard-Westlake product to their undermanned staff.

Just as they hoped, Flaherty became a stabilizing force for the Dodgers on the mound. He went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts down the stretch. And by the playoffs, he was one of only three healthy starters remaining on the roster, leading the team in innings pitched during their extended October campaign.

Jack Flaherty stands in the dugout during Game 1 of the NLCS against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium.

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(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Flaherty’s postseason performance was inconsistent. He twice led the club to key wins in Game 1 of both the National League Championship Series and World Series. But he also suffered several clunkers, including an eight-run outing in Game 5 of the NLCS and an abbreviated four-run start in Game 5 of the World Series.

The Dodgers, of course, overcame Flaherty’s struggles in the latter contest, rallying from the early hole to clinch the title at Yankee Stadium. And as Flaherty celebrated the championship, he held out hope of remaining with his favorite childhood team.

“I love this city,” Flaherty said during the team’s World Series parade. “I never want to leave. I never want to leave.”

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Despite that, Flaherty never seemed likely to stay with the Dodgers this winter.

The expectation was that he would cash in on his strong 2024 season to land a longer-term deal elsewhere. The Dodgers, meanwhile, added Snell (a two-time Cy Young Award winner) and Sasaki (a 23-year-old phenom from Japan) to a rotation that will also get Shohei Ohtani, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May back from injuries next season.

“I’m not going back to L.A. most likely — I can do the numbers, do the math,” Flaherty told Foul Territory last month. “It doesn’t bother me. I’m trying to go elsewhere and win and see if we can’t beat those guys.”

Flaherty didn’t ultimately get the long-term deal he was looking for (though he will earn a substantial 2025 salary and is positioned to test the free-agent waters again next season). However, he will get to return to a familiar setting in Detroit, rejoining a Tigers team he spoke highly of after his trade to the Dodgers.

“I really enjoyed my time with Detroit,” Flaherty said during the NLCS. “What those guys were able to do in the second half and the run that they made, I think, surprised a lot of people. I don’t think it really surprised me.”

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