Toto Wolff fires back on 'difficult Lewis Hamilton situation'

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has spoken out regarding the 'difficult situation' surrounding Lewis Hamilton's departure from the team.

The seven-time world champion shocked the sporting world last season after announcing he had agreed to make the switch to rivals Ferrari from 2025.

Months of speculation over who would take the Brit's seat followed, with Red Bull star Max Verstappen consistently linked with a blockbuster move.

But it was to be Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli who was given the nod to partner George Russell after catching the eye of Wolff in F2 throughout 2024.

Wolff delighted with 2025 driver pairing

It was a decision which raised a few eyebrows considering the 18-year-old's lack of experience, but in an interview with The Times, Wolff has insisted there was never any doubt about the team's ability to cope with the exit of Hamilton.

He said: “All this talk about Lewis leaving, what a difficult situation for Mercedes...

"No, there is a driver [George Russell] there who has been absolutely at the sharp end of things.

"Then you bring in Kimi, a massive talent, and it is almost a perfect combination. I don’t expect one to massively dominate the other one.”

Antonelli has made a positive start to life at the Silver Arrows, coming home fourth and sixth in Australia and China respectively, picking up 18 points in the process.

His efforts, coupled with Russell's back-to-back third-place finishes over the opening two rounds have seen Mercedes emerge as surprise constructors' championship contenders.

Ahead of next weekend's race in Japan, the team occupy second spot in the standings behind McLaren, having comfortably outperformed both Ferrari and Red Bull so far.

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