Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career came to an end last weekend, bringing down the curtains on one of F1’s most fruitful partnerships. Hamilton had been a part of Mercedes’ program since his junior days and went on to win six titles for the team, which actually made all scenarios for his potential exit almost unfathomable.
Since Mercedes’ slump began in 2022 with the onset of new regulations, Hamilton‘s struggles began. But sacking him did not even cross Toto Wolff‘s mind, even though the Mercedes team principal had a replacement in Kimi Antonello lined up.
As such, Wolff was glad when Hamilton decided to leave on his own. “I couldn’t make the decision from a personal standpoint,” he said. “We owe him so much.”
Presumably having given up on Mercedes’ ability to field a championship-winning car, Hamilton announced that he would be leaving in 2025. Wolff, however, suggested that Hamilton may have understood Mercedes wanting to put Antonelli in his place regardless. “It was something that I almost had in the back of my mind that that would happen.”
Antonelli’s signing was an inevitability
Wolff once had the opportunity to sign Max Verstappen even before the now 27-year-old was a part of the Red Bull family. However, his apprehension in putting a 17-year-old Verstappen in the F1 seat led to the Dutchman pulling away, and causing him so much headache in the years to come.
Wolff wasn’t going to let the same happen to Antonelli. “It’s just a bit surreal but we had this 17-year-old in the pipeline,” Wolff revealed about Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton speaks on Kimi Antonelli ahead of his FP1 session:
“Kimi is young and he’s learning from his first outing in Monza. I think what’s key is, and as I spoke to him, he doesn’t have to set the world alight on the first lap, just build into it, enjoy.” pic.twitter.com/MF7brbAX8z
— Kimi Antonelli Updates (@AndreaKimiNews) October 25, 2024
Antonelli will be filling in big shoes in 2025 and will arrive in the F1 paddock as one of the biggest talents in motorsports today. After skipping F3 to compete directly in F2, the Italian driver finished P6 with 113 points in his rookie season, which was enough for Mercedes to sign him.
However, he will have to deal with the pressure of replacing Hamilton and also the comparisons with Verstappen. Both World Champions had flawless rookie seasons in their respective cars, and Antonelli will be hoping for the same.
