Toto Wolff has mentioned Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s possibilities of changing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Hamilton’s swap to Ferrari in 2025 means Wolff is confronted with the monumental choice of find out how to substitute a seven-time Method 1 champion.
Choices span two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso all the way down to Antonelli, the 17-year-old on Mercedes’ books who’s tipped for a shiny future.
“We acquired that curveball thrown at us, with Lewis, at first of February,” Wolff stated as he thought-about which driver to switch him with.
“And I wish to do the alternative when selecting the driving force for subsequent 12 months.
“It’s clear Kimi has been in our junior class since he was 11. Now we have had nice pleasure in watching him develop as a younger man, and rising by means of the ranks.
“However I additionally wish to take somewhat little bit of stress off him – he’s 17.
“He’s gained every thing he wanted to win in his rookie season, however I feel he’s going to be a Method 1 driver.
“He’s going to be a really, very profitable driver in Method 1 however he hasn’t began his Method 2 marketing campaign but.
“That they had a tough check within the first days in Bahrain. We’ll see how this develops.”
Wolff insisted that he won’t be rushed into making a name.
“I wish to wait out the primary few [F2] races which can be truly going to go along with Method 1,” he stated.
“There are a lot of excellent pilots in Method 1 accessible for subsequent 12 months.
“That is all going to return into the equation when deciding on the driving force line-up for subsequent 12 months. However that’s not going to occur anytime quickly.”
The prodigious Antonelli was first noticed by James Vowles, beforehand of Mercedes, and now Williams’ group principal.
That hyperlink has sparked rumours that Antonelli might earn his first F1 call-up with Williams, earlier than later graduating to Mercedes, taking the identical pathway as George Russell.
Vowles was questioned about taking Antonelli subsequent 12 months.
“I’ve little question that Kimi can be in F1,” he responded.
“He’s finished extremely properly in his junior collection. However that does not imply he can be in Williams, essentially.
“I consider in investing in youth. However I am going to take individuals on advantage into the organisation.
“I am lucky sufficient to have two juniors myself, in F2 and in F3.
“We’re beginning to construct a programme that may be a wise programme to develop THE subsequent technology of drivers.
“Within the case of Toto, he is within the place that you’d hope.
“He is one among, if not one of the best, group on the grid, with a spread of choices accessible to him.
“From my perspective, it is extra about trying what occurs going ahead.
“I’ve Alex Albon right here subsequent 12 months below contract and I’ve Logan Sargeant clearly below contract as properly, together with juniors.
“It is only a query of seeing how every thing performs out throughout the subsequent six months.”
However Vowles did emphasise the potential brilliance of Antonelli.
“If you’re taking care of a junior who’s 11, you haven’t any thought that they will be unimaginable, or maybe good, nice or common,” he defined.
“However, with him, you possibly can see early on within the F4 days that he was creating exceptionally properly.”
