‘Immense’ driver ‘could be the answer’ to replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025

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Sky Sports journalist Rachel Brookes believes that teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be the answer to replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.

The race to take the seven-time world champion’s seat next year when he heads to Ferrari is likely to be the biggest talking point on the grid this year.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Brookes was discussing the move that took everyone by surprise at the start of February and how Mercedes might deal with the fallout.

Brookes thinks Antonelli could replace Hamilton in 2025

There is a huge amount of excitement around Andrea Kimi Antonelli right now.

The Italian teenager has impressed nearly everyone who has watched him race in the past.

Karun Chandhok has already told Williams chief James Vowles that he needs to take a serious look at signing him.

It’s a route Mercedes have used in the past after giving George Russell his first opportunity in Formula 1 with Williams.

 Toto Wolff is a huge fan and previously said about the 17-year-old: “In go-karting his track record was immense and then you put him in the junior formulas and he wins every single season in his rookie year.”

Now, Rachel Brookes believes that Antonelli could skip a development stage at Williams and go straight to Mercedes in 2025 to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Given that he’s going straight into Formula 2 this year after missing out Formula 3 altogether, he’s no stranger to accelerating his career given his talent.

Mercedes could take a huge gamble with Antonelli

Speaking about who may replace the seven-time world champion, Brookes said: “I wasn’t surprised by Lewis’s [Hamilton] move but I was surprised by the timing of it.

“I have always felt that he would end up in Ferrari red one day. Even when he said he wasn’t going to or was saying he was going to stay at Mercedes, I just felt he was always going to do it.

“[Andrea Kimi] Antonelli, yes, I agree, I think Antonelli could be the answer to that Mercedes seat, but he’s still got to race in F2 this season, so let’s see what happens there.”

It would be a blow for Mercedes reserve drivers Mick Schumacher and Frederik Vesti if Antonelli was the man to replace Hamilton in 2025.

Schumacher hasn’t hidden his desire to return to Formula 1, while Vesti was runner-up in F2 last year but couldn’t secure a place on the grid.

Antonelli is being spoken about a lot before he’s even raced in Formula 2 himself and faces a tough challenge to compete for the title straight away.

There are high hopes for Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman who is targeting a race seat with Haas next year.

The likes of Victor Martins, Zak O’Sullivan, Jak Crawford and Gabriel Bortoleto are just some of the other drivers already backed by F1 teams looking to make the step up.

If Antonelli can go straight to the top of the timing sheets this year, then he will give Mercedes a very big decision to make.