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An Exciting 2024:
Wrapping Up Our Junior Drivers' Season

16 December 2024
8 Min Read

From Championship titles to race wins and some mega off-track opportunities, it's been an exciting 2024 for our juniors.

We wanted to highlight all the great work our Junior Drivers have had over the season and pick out some of their key moments.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

After a stellar 2023 season in Formula Regional, claiming both the Middle East and European titles, Kimi made the large jump up to Formula 2 with Prema Racing for the 2024 season.

Despite a challenging start to life in F1, Kimi found his stride in the mid-point of the year - winning his first F2 race in the Silverstone Sprint and going on to win the Feature in Budapest. Those two successes saw him become the youngest multiple race winner in the history of the series.

A difficult round in Qatar and illness forcing him out of the finale in Abu Dhabi wasn't the ideal way to end the season, but P6 in the standings was a fine effort for his debut season And of course, we all know what he's going to do next... graduating our Junior programme to join our Formula One line-up for 2025 alongside George Russell.

Kimi said: "This season has been quite tough. Jumping from Regional to F2 was a big step but I prepared the best I could over the winter. We struggled as a team especially at the start of the year but towards the end, we managed to come back a bit, fight more at the front and overall it was a positive season. I learned a lot as a driver and also learned how to work best with the team, especially in the difficult moments. I also got my first FP1 sessions in and did the F1 post-season test so that was useful to get a better understanding of the car and tyres. All great learnings for next year."

Doriane Pin

The French driver joined our Junior programme at the start of the season before her first season in F1 Academy, When we announced her as part of our Junior line-up, she was mid-way through an F4 UAE campaign that yielded a pole position and race win.

Doriane started strongly in Saudi Arabia, winning the first race before having the second taken away for a post-race penalty. A second win of the campaign was secured in Zandvoort in August. She took a further victory in Qatar and five further podiums to end the season runner-up in the standings.

Alongside her F1 Academy campaign, she also raced in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) with Iron Dames.

Doriane said: "2024 has been full of learnings but I've scored some good achievements in my first single-seater season. I've grown as a person and as a driver thanks to the support of Mercedes and Iron Dames. The year started strong with a win in F4 UAE, a result that I'm very proud of. Then getting the first win in the opening round of F1 Academy, ultimately finishing vice champion. I also had challenges with a rib injury, so fighting to get back into shape was a moment I proved my resilience and resourcefulness. I also raced FRECA this year and continued my learning in another competitive championship with more races and new tracks. Overall, I am happy with my journey this year and cannot wait for what is next."

Alex Powell

Having finished his karting career in impressive fashion, Alex made the step up to single-seaters full-time in 2024. It was a busy season for the American-Jamaican, who started his season in F4 UAE in January, where he scored a win and several podiums, finishing P6 overall.

Alex's main focus for the season was his Italian F4 and Euro4 campaigns with Prema Racing. In the Italian series, Alex claimed three consecutive P2 finishes in the opening three races and added three further podiums to his tally on his way to P5 in the standings.

Alex also won the Rookie Championship - a very impressive result in such a competitive field. In the shorter Euro4 season, he won the first race of the finale at Monza and was P9 in the standings.

Alex said: “It’s been a huge year of learning for me in 2024, with it being my first year in single-seaters. Not just the driving side either, but the personal side as well. It’s been a big transition moving into cars and I’ve learned a lot about myself along the way, including how I manage difficult situations. Because I did have a few this year. Being able to overcome those were one of the main lessons from the season through the highs and the lows.”

Yuanpu Cui

Alongside Alex, Yuanpu was also making the step up to single-seaters in 2024 and joined Argenti Motorsport in British F4 - racing on various circuits around the United Kingdom.

An impressive victory at Snetterton was the highlight, and he added a further podium at Knockhill.

He ended the season P9 in the standings, and narrowly missed out on claiming the Rookie Cup, finishing P2.

Yuanpu said: "It's been a challenging year for me in Formula 4. But at the same time, I've gained a lot of experience and learnings in single-seater cars. I've had some highs and lows during the season but it's all turned into useful experience for my next steps and it's also been a lot of fun. Next year will be even tougher with a new car and new category, hopefully I'll be able to adapt quickly and be able to achieve strong results."

Luna Fluxa

The Spanish racer moved from OK-Junior karting to the senior OK category - one of the most competitive karting series in the world.

Luna raced across both the FIA Karting European and World Championships, plus the Champions of the Future series.

Luna claimed six final wins and nine podiums, securing the OK-Senior title in dominant fashion at the finale in Abu Dhabi. She also joined the Iron Dames project during the 2024 season.

Luna said: "It has been a good and successful season for me, winning the Champions of the Future Academy series and being the second female to ever win an FIA international championship in history. I learned a lot in the OK category and I'm excited to take those learnings forward. For me, the highlight was definitely winning in Abu Dhabi and then spending the day with Mercedes at the F1 Team. Going into next year I'm ready, positive and feeling super excited for what's next."

Kenzo Craigie

British karter Kenzo joined our Junior squad last year for his first season in OK Junior, and remained in the category for 2024 , competing on European, World and British fronts.

Impressing with karting wins all over the world, Kenzo took victories across the world in 2024, helping him to secure the FIA Karting World Championship in dramatic fashion at the PF International Karting Circuit in September - the biggest karting event of the season.

He then went on to claim the IAME World Finals in the X30 Junior class in Spain to round out an incredible season. He was invited to the US GP in Austin by Lewis, where he got to soak in the F1 buzz, take a hot lap with the seven-time F1 champion and sit in the W15.

Kenzo said: "My first full season of international karting has been fantastic. I've learned and achieved so much thanks to the special Teams and people around me. The highlights have definitely been winning the FIA Karting World Championship and being crowned IAME Champion. Finishing third in the Champions of the Future series, podiums, poles, fastest laps, the list goes on. I'm so grateful for the opportunities that Gwen, Ron, Mercedes and so many others are providing so I can show what I can do, and I'll continue to work hard to have an even better 2025."

James Anagnostiadis

James made it a Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Programme 1-2 in the OK Junior class of the FIA Karting World Championships, finishing the huge karting event as the Vice Champion after an incredible drive in the finale.

It was a massive result for the Australian, who was taking part in his first season as part of our Junior squad. He caught the eye of the Junior Programme after winning the Champions of the Future Academy event in 2023 - after which his family relocated to Europe for the 2024 season.

Alongside the World Championships, he also raced across the European series, plus the Champions of the Future, where he achieved his biggest result of the year, storming to the title on the same weekend that Luna also claimed the OK Senior Championship.

James said: "This year's been a massive learning curve for me, moving across to the other side of the world at the start of the year and moving into a new category of racing too. I struggled at the start of the year with the new maxi tyre but I am very happy with my achievement at the World Championships, becoming Vice Champion, and also winning the Champions of the Future Academy title. I've learned so much this year. Such as getting the most out of the tyre in qualifying and the importance of track positions."

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