F1 News: Toto Wolff hints at Lewis Hamilton's 2025 replacement

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari rumours — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Wolff hints at potential Hamilton 2025 replacement

Toto Wolff believes that a certain young driver could be a future replacement for Lewis Hamilton

Shay Rogers

Tuesday 27 February 2024 20:27

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Toto Wolff could be lining up an F2 star as Lewis Hamilton’s long-term Mercedes successor beyond 2025.

The Austrian team principal has a tricky decision on his hands, with the seven-time champion set to leave the team at the end of the season.

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Both on and off-track, he is almost irreplaceable, making finding another suitor a difficult task for Wolff, who has to pair George Russell up with another budding star.

But there’s only a matter of time before the Silver Arrows will be forced to make a decision as they prepare for next season – the last of the current technical regulations.

James Allison is heavily involved with Mercedes' future car developments again

Toto Wolff stands between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Wolff reveals young star's potential

Speaking to the media in Bahrain at the Formula 1 pre-season test, Wolff suggested that 17-year-old superstar Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be an option for Mercedes.

“We got that curveball thrown at us with Lewis in the beginning of February,” he said. “I want to do the opposite when choosing the driver for next year.

“It’s clear Kimi has been in our junior category since he was 11 and we have had great pleasure in watching him grow as a young man and growing through the ranks.

“But I also want to take a little bit of pressure off him. He’s 17. He’s won everything he needed to win in his rookie season, but I think he is going to be a Formula 1 driver,” Wolff continued.

"He’s going to be a very, very successful driver in Formula 1. But he hasn’t started his Formula 2 campaign yet.

“I want to wait out the first F2 races that are actually going to go with Formula 1.”

First, there is a 24-race season ahead of them to complete, and progress to make back towards the front of the pack if Mercedes want to compete for victories and have the premier tier drivers in the future.