Intense Lewis Hamilton F1 REPLACEMENT preparation revealed as Mercedes unleash championship-winning car

Photo: © IMAGO

Latest F1 News

Intense Hamilton REPLACEMENT preparation revealed as Mercedes unleash championship-winning car

Lewis Hamilton will be replaced by Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes F1 team

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 20 January 2025 09:57

Intense preparations to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes have been revealed after the seven-time Formula 1 champion's exit from the Silver Arrows last month.

Hamilton shocked the world of F1 in February 2024 by announcing his move to Ferrari for the 2025 season and beyond after 12 seasons with Mercedes.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen slammed with DOUBLE race punishment as insane Hamilton footage released

Article continues under video

Hamilton's time with Toto Wolff's outfit saw the sporting legend secure six of his seven drivers' titles and eight constructors' victories, making his partnership with Mercedes the most successful of its kind in the sport's history.

Following the shock announcement that Hamilton had decided to put and end to this partnership, Wolff's attention shifted to finding the best replacement, deciding to sign F2 star Kimi Antonelli to race alongside George Russell.

The former Mercedes junior driver is currently contracted with the team until the end of the 2025 season, where Wolff will seemingly evaluate his lineup for 2026.

Kimi Antonelli has joined Toto Wolff's F1 outfit for 2025

Lewis Hamilton is now a Ferrari F1 driver

Antonelli preparing for huge 2025 F1 challenge

With the huge challenge of fulfilling Wolff's expectations and the shoes of an F1 legend, it seems Mercedes have been thorough with Antontelli's preparations ahead of the new season, with an intense testing programme having been undertaken ahead of his race debut.

The rookie racer has reportedly already completed over 9,000 kilometres of testing with Mercedes ahead of the new season as per Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.

According to the report, the most recent of those tests came when Mercedes wheeled out a piece of the team's iconic F1 history to aid the young Italian's learning, using their 2020 car — the W11.

Mercedes' last drivers' championship came in that car, with Hamilton having won 11 out of 17 grands prix that season.

As well as adjusting to the demands of the Mercedes F1 car which Antonelli previously struggled with, he will also have to adapt to working with Hamilton's trusted former race engineer.

Peter 'Bono' Bonnington is set to stay in his current role and assist Antonelli upon his entry into the team.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1 Christian Horner