Toto Wolff Reveals His First Choice to Replace Lewis Hamilton

Toto Wolff Reveals His First Choice to Replace Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has publicly revealed his interest in signing Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton on several occasions. However, since the Dutchman seems unavailable, he believes his academy driver will most likely be his first choice.

Wolff was quoted on X (formerly Twitter) as saying, “At the moment, my first option is Kimi [Antonelli].” Wolff explained that while signing Antonelli has its own risks, he looks at Oscar Piastri’s rise at McLaren to chalk a similar pathway for his own driver.

That being said, Mercedes has not ruled out the signing of Verstappen. Wolff has admitted that as things stand, signing Verstappen seems like a far-fetched dream but he intends to keep a close eye on how things develop internally at Red Bull.

Wolff keeps doors open for Verstappen after the Hungarian GP incident

The Mercedes team principal is keen on evaluating the driver market situation as the season keeps progressing. Antonelli might be his first choice, but the Austrian is in no hurry to sign the Italian yet. Considering Wolff’s recent remarks, it seems that he is still keen on signing Verstappen.

Wolff said, “Max is, it seems anyway, the strongest driver at the moment. That is why we have always left the door open for him,” per RacingNews365. That being said, the Austrian is still not convinced that Verstappen would be eager to join the Silver Arrows just yet.

Wolff also has other options at his disposal. Carlos Sainz, who has been getting the better of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari off late, is still a free agent as far as 2025 is concerned. But apart from Antonelli, Wolff might only be interested in entertaining the three-time world champion, should things go awry at Red Bull again.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Toto Wolff

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Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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