Lewis Hamilton has at least two seasons left in his Formula 1 career after signing a new contract with Mercedes, but the Silver Arrows know they will have to replace him at some point.
Toto Wolff has highlighted “very talented” teenager Kimi Antonelli as a potential future for his Mercedes team.
Silver Arrows currently have one of the strongest driver lineups on the Formula 1 grid. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is in their hands, while fellow Briton George Russell has been hailed as the title’s winner. this mark in the future.
Both recently signed new deals keeping them at Mercedes until at least the end of 2025. But the team knows that, while they do not want to face the day when Hamilton leaves F1, sooner or later they will have to find a replacement. His 41st birthday is just a few weeks away when this new contract ends. A new deal that goes beyond that is possible – Fernando Alonso is 42 years old and still racing at a high level – but the reality is that Hamilton is nearing the end of his F1 career.
Wolff, the team principal, did not want to talk to other potential drivers until absolutely necessary. “As a principle of life, I don’t want to flirt if my marriage is happy – that only creates chaos,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We have a strong couple, people we trust, who were positive with the team even when the car broke down. That’s why we never talked to anyone else. There are some fast and exciting riders, no doubt about that – but our focus is on ourselves and our future men. »
One of these “future men” was identified by Wolff in the interview. Kimi Antonelli, 17, came to the attention of Mercedes thanks to her success in karting and has been part of their young driver program since 2019.
Over the past two years he has competed in different F4 level championships, winning four of them and he could win five before the end of the year as he currently leads the Division European Formula Regional championship. Wolff likes what he has seen from the Bologna teenager, but does not want to put too much pressure on him. “Antonelli, for example, is a very talented Italian rider that we have invested in,” he said. “He’s won everything in F4, is leading the Formula Regional championship and has shown that he’s really strong, which is great to see. But we don’t want to put too much pressure on strength for him.”
“Let’s finish the work of 2023, then see what next year has to do with the unity of his family very balanced. Andrea is only 17 years old, we don’t want to burn him alive, we have to let him grow up. We must do everything calmly. »
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