The F1 media is going ballistic as the news of Lewis Hamilton deciding to part ways with Mercedes surfaced. Hamilton will move to Ferrari in 2025, however, neither party has confirmed the claims. It still begs the question, though, who will replace the 7-time world champion at Mercedes?
George Russell will continue to race for the Silver Arrows in 2025 as his current contract ends at the end of the season. There are, however, quite a lot of speculations running on who will partner with him. The most sensational claim comes from F1 journalist Will Buxton. The F1 presenter believes young talent Kimi Antonelli could be in the running for the seat.
Antonelli will join Formula 2 in the upcoming 2024 season. This would be perfect timing for the Mercedes rookie to make a case for his F1 debut in 2025. It also helps that team boss Toto Wolff rates him highly. Therefore, the move would not be as wild as it seems to be.
GP Fans recently quoted Wolff as saying, “We got Kimi under the wings in 2012 and he was a great kid already then. You could see the character [and] he was strong. We had him in the garage and there was a lot of confidence. In go-karting his track record was immense and then you put him in the junior formulas and he wins every single season in his rookie year.”
The Silver Arrows boss, however, warned against putting too much pressure on the 17-year-old. Wolff talked about how Antonelli has caught the attention of the media with his success in karting and F4. A direct entry into F2 is a positive sign but certainly a testing one.
Who is Kimi Antonelli?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the latest prodigious sensation that has grabbed F1 media’s spotlight. Mercedes got him under their wing as part of their junior team. The Italian driver raced in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023 and won the championship.
The accolade earned him a Prema seat for the 2024 season in the F2 category, bypassing the F3 championship. Kimi is the son of Marco Antonelli, a former motor racer himself, and also the owner of Formula 4 side AKM Motorsport.
While Antonelli seems to be an option, Mercedes has a big hole to fill, with Lewis Hamilton set to leave. So, they are suddenly going to be one of the most active teams in the driver market, and likewise drivers like Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, and naturally Carlos Sainz may be knocking on the Brackley doors to replace the seven-time champion.
The link between Lewis Hamilton deal and Charles Leclerc’s contract extension
Sky Sports presenter Craig Slater pondered over the possible replacements Mercedes could line up for Hamilton. The Briton ruled out young talent Frederik Vesti for his lack of experience. He also cast doubts over Mercedes going with Mick Schumacher given his far-from-ideal stint with Haas. Alex Albon, however, emerged as Slater’s favorite to join the Silver Arrows. He lauded Albon’s proven racing pedigree and the Williams link which could make the transition an easy one.
However, during the discussion, Slater also discussed Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc’s contract situation. Slater believes Hamilton’s move and his negotiations with Ferrari boss John Elkann had been going on for months. Teams knew about this and therefore McLaren hastily signed an extension with Norris to avoid losing him to Mercedes. Ferrari did the same with Leclerc.
