Formula 1 News: Antonelli signed by Mercedes F1 team for 2025

Our sources tell us that Mercedes has signed Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.

We await the official announcement.

July 29, 2024

(GMM) Toto Wolff is now freely admitting that Kimi Antonelli is his “first option” to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton from 2025.

Earlier, Max Verstappen was clearly the Mercedes boss’s number 1 pick to pair with George Russell next year – but the triple world champion now seems locked into his Red Bull contract at least until 2026.

Wolff told RTBF at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday: “But you never know. We have a youngster who is arriving and who is very strong.”

That youngster is 17-year-old Italian Antonelli, a Wolff-groomed protégé whose recent form has been improving in his first season of Formula 2.

“I will continue to observe the market,” Wolff has now told Autosportwereld, a Belgian publication. “I am not sure how things will evolve further at Red Bull.

“The criteria for our next driver is simple – we want the best driver available. At the moment, my first option is Kimi Antonelli,” he said.

Some think Antonelli has already been told he’s secured the seat, particularly with Carlos Sainz now said to be on the verge of a Williams contract.

“Other drivers would sign a one or two-year contract, but that’s not enough for us,” Wolff insisted. “So I’m happy to take a risk with Antonelli, because it’s a calculated risk.

“If you look at the progress of (Oscar) Piastri, it took him a year and a half to compete for victory at the level of Lando Norris. We want to try to do the same with Kimi.

“In 2025, with the changes in 2026, we’ll be in transition anyway,” the Austrian added. “So it’s a good season to bring him into our team.

“Of course, there are risks, but they are not so much in his talent as a driver. He would be exposed to the media and the skills of George Russell, one of the best drivers on the grid. But Kimi has enormous potential,” said Wolff.

“His speed and talent are already at a certain level, he just lacks the experience.”

So with Russell already signed, Wolff is now seeing the upside of Hamilton’s shock decision early this year to switch to red overalls for 2025 and beyond.

“I have always seen the departure of a driver as a new opportunity for the team,” the Mercedes boss insists. “Change is good – you have to embrace it.

“When Lewis told me the news, I initially thought ‘Why now and not halfway through the season?’ But he thought it was necessary not only for him, but also for the team.

“We don’t have to rush,” Wolff concluded. “We want to wait to make the right decision.”

July 28, 2024

(GMM) With Carlos Sainz Jr. now expected to sign for Williams, the path is clear at Mercedes for 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli to make his Formula 1 debut in 2025.

Team boss Toto Wolff was holding the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton’s cockpit open for Max Verstappen, but the triple world champion now appears contractually locked in at Red Bull at least for now.

“Max is very strong,” Mercedes’ Wolff told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Saturday. “We can see that they have returned to having a car that suits him better for Spa-Francorchamps. He is the strongest at the moment.

“But you never know, we have a youngster who is arriving and who is very strong,” said the Austrian, undoubtedly referring to his own young F2 protégé Antonelli.

“He is only 17 years old – not even old enough to pass the license to drive a normal car,” Wolff laughed. “At the same time we are continuing to observe the market.”

However, George Russell can expect to have a fresh-faced rookie teammate from Italy next year.

“There’s a lot of talk about leadership because Lewis is leaving,” Russell told the same local broadcaster at Spa. “But the way I look at racing and my driving, I think it’s been my best season in terms of speed.

“I’m not going to change anything next year,” the Briton added. “I’m going to build on what I did this year. Lewis and I have the same influence within the team. We have the same level of respect from the whole team.

“Now that he’s leaving, I hope my future teammate will have the same impact that I have as well. We’re lucky to be two drivers driving the same car and we need all the information from each driver. The team always has to come first.

“It’s the team that gives you the opportunity,” Russell concluded.