Kimi Antonelli is exempt from little-known F1 rule to hand Mercedes an advantage | F1 | Sport

Kimi Antonelli is exempt from a Formula One rule which will force most of his rivals to step away from their cars at least once this season. The Italian is enjoying a positive start to his first season and will be crucial to Mercedes’ chances of winning the Constructors’ Championship.

Antonelli had never driven in an F1 Grand Prix before this season. That inexperience has scarcely shown, though, with the 18-year-old recording finishes of fourth, eighth and sixth in his first three races. That means he has scored points in each of his outings this year and he will hope for more success at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend.

The teenager is so inexperienced that he does not even need to comply with an F1 rule designed to give rookie drivers more experience. Four times each season, teams must replace their drivers with a rookie for one practice session.

A rookie in this instance, as defined by the FIA’s rulebook, is a driver who has taken part in no more than two Grands Prix. Antonelli had never taken part in a Grand Prix before this year and so he helped Mercedes fulfil his quota by driving in practice at the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

Only George Russell will have to step aside twice this season at Mercedes. The 27-year-old will do so for the first time in Bahrain, with highly-rated Danish F2 driver Frederik Vesti stepping into his car.

Antonelli will be able to take part in every practice session for Mercedes. That may provide an advantage to the Silver Arrows as it means they will have one of their top drivers collecting vital data and testing the car set-up in each session, rather than having to promote an untested rookie twice.

Drivers do not win points during practice sessions but the 60-minute stints can help to lay the foundations for a team’s approach to the subsequent Grand Prix. Having Antonelli take part in those two practice sessions at the start of the season therefore provided a boost.

Mercedes are one of three teams making a change for the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. Vesti will replace Russell for FP1, while Aston Martin are swapping Fernando Alonso for Felipe Drugovich. The final change sees Williams’ Carlos Sainz step aside for British star Luke Browning.