Toto Wolff says six-podium F1 star is inspiring Mercedes to sign Kimi Antonelli for 2025

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Mercedes are poised to sign Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Carlos Sainz’s move to Williams removes Antonelli’s only real rival for the seat.

Toto Wolff has also spent much of the season courting reigning world champion Max Verstappen. But it appears the Dutchman may not have a route of his contract at present.

Helmut Marko recently signed a key contract extension at Red Bull, closing off a potential exit door. Previously, Verstappen was able to depart if Marko left his post.

But it seems the 26-year-old will now have to wait 12 months before he has the opportunity to change teams. Verstappen has an exit clause that kicks in ahead of the 2026 regulation changes.

Up to this point, there’s been no firm indication that he wants to leave either. All of this has pushed Wolff towards promoting his academy driver Antonelli instead.

The Italian has won two races so far in his maiden Formula 2 season. He heads into the summer break seventh in the championship, 78 points behind leader Isack Hadjar.

Toto Wolff says Mercedes want Oscar Piastri repeat with Kimi Antonelli

Speaking to Dutch outlet Autosport Wereld, Wolff confirmed that Antonelli was his ‘first choice’ to succeed Hamilton. He understands that it’s a significant gamble.

The teenager will face intense scrutiny and go up against a two-time race-winner in George Russell. However, Wolff says the performance of Oscar Piastri, in similar circumstances, gives him confidence.

Piastri joined McLaren at the start of 2023, forming a partnership with Lando Norris, one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid. While they were a midfield team at first, they’ve been competing with Mercedes at the front for around a year now.

Norris has outscored Piastri by 404 points to 274 points so far, but the Australian has displayed impressive pace and maturity. He’s also racked up five podiums, including a maiden win in Hungary earlier this month.

“The criteria for our next driver is simple: we want the best driver available and, at the moment, my first choice is Kimi Antonelli,” Wolff said. “Of course, there are risks.

“These are not so much due to the talent of the driver, but to the fact that Antonelli would be exposed to the media and the skills of George Russell, one of the best drivers on the grid. Kimi has a lot of potential. His speed and talent are already at a certain level, he just lacks experience.

“Other drivers would sign a one or two-year contract, which is not enough for us, that is why I like to take risks with Antonelli, because it is a calculated risk. If you look at Piastri’s evolution, in a year and a half he has been able to compete for victory with his teammate Lando Norris. And we want to try that with Kimi.”

James Vowles shares ‘very private’ Kimi Antonelli conversation

Mercedes could have delayed signing Antonelli. Sainz was on the market, and if they’d offered him a multi-year contract, he likely would have accepted.

Wolff would then have had the option to either keep Antonelli in F2 for another year or try to place him at Williams. This arrangement worked well in the case of Russell, who was able to develop away from the spotlight at the back of the grid and then thrive from the outset at Mercedes.

But clearly, the team principal believes such patience isn’t necessary this time. The Silver Arrows see Antonelli as the next Charles Leclerc or Verstappen.

The Williams path now appears to be closed. James Vowles had a ‘very private’ conversation with Wolff about Antonelli last weekend, but they were more focused on an ‘impressive’ F2 overtake than a race seat.