Toto Wolff talking to the press at Silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

Mercedes

Wolff makes SHOCK admission regarding Hamilton replacement Antonelli

Toto Wolff has made a shock revelation about Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes promotion

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 4 September 2024 21:00

Toto Wolff has revealed a surprising detail regarding the promotion of Kimi Antonelli to Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton's 2025 replacement enjoyed his first session on the Friday at Monza, where he competed in FP1.

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However, Antonelli pushed his Mercedes too far at Parabolica, with his car crashing into the barriers and ending his first session prematurely.

Despite the mistake, team boss Toto Wolff remained confident in his star, as the team announced Antonelli’s signing on Saturday.

Kimi Antonelli has had a successful junior career

Have Mercedes made the right decision with Kimi Antonelli?

"Obviously, we were discussing other options, and also kept the Max idea. We didn't discount it completely with looking at what happened at Red Bull, but instinctively, that is the line-up with these two that I always wanted.

"Bearing in mind the fast-tracking that we did with Kimi and everything related there too, but that was immediately what I wanted to do.”

Toto Wolff shocks after admitting Antonelli promotion was always on the cards

Antonelli has enjoyed a rapid rise through the junior ranks, bypassing Formula 3 and heading straight to Formula 2, where he has won two races at Silverstone and Hungary.

"These two are the future,” Wolff added.

“They have been and will be Mercedes drivers, and therefore we have contracts with George and Kimi that go much longer, that are very complicated in terms of options, etc.

"This is a pressure cooker, but this is where we stand as a team today, we want to go with these two.

“The most important thing is to see how George and Kimi settle in and I see no reason at that stage not giving them the faith and the trust of going forward.

"What that means for the terms is something that we will discuss between ourselves, but we wouldn't have gone for the line-up with these two if we wouldn't believe 100% that they are the best choice for Mercedes."

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli Monza