Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has chosen to supplant Lewis Hamilton with the team’s wonder Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 Equation 1 season, concurring to F1 enclosure insider Will Buxton.
Wolff has been looking to discover Hamilton’s successor since the Briton dropped the stunner that he would be joining Ferrari after activating a break clause in his contract in February.
A few best drivers have been connected with the empty situate, counting Verstappen, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and the resigned four-time championship victor Sebastian Vettel.
It shows up improbable that Verstappen will take off Ruddy Bull when Mercedes are battling, whereas Sainz isn’t believed to be within the running for the situate in spite of securing a race win and two other platform wraps up in three races this season.
“An incredible experience. I loved every second of it!” 📲😄
Talking through Kimi’s first F1 test ✌️ pic.twitter.com/bymuFzAKza
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 17, 2024
“Antonelli is reaching to Mercedes. I think Toto has made his intellect up:
he needs Antonelli within the seat,” Buxton said, talking on The Ruddy Banners Podcast. “Because he’s p***ed. He’s p***ed that he missed the opportunity to provide Max the opportunity back in 2014. So you put Antonelli within the seat.”
An perfect opportunity for Mercedes
The Silver Bolts have battled so distant this season and have as it were collected 34 focuses within the constructors’ standings after four races, with the W15 demonstrating to be more troublesome than to begin with thought for Hamilton and Russell.
And Buxton accepts this may really offer assistance Antonelli – who is as of now driving in Equation 2 with Prema Dashing – adjust to the rigors and weight that comes with being an F1 driver.
“’25 could be a write-off for [Mercedes] besides, until the unused controls in ’26,” Buxton said. “So you bring him in, no weight, get him to know the group, get him to work with George, get it what Mercedes are all about.”
Wolff had already hinted that he would be depending on Antonelli for the upcoming season when he scheduled a lengthy test at Silverstone for the Italian driver of the W12, their 2021 vehicle. And the boy acknowledged that even though he drove over 310 kilometres on track and was hit by snowfall on the first day, he enjoyed the experience. “It’s my first day driving an F1 car, and it’s been amazing.” “I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it,” Antonelli declared in a video that was posted to Mercedes’ official X account