Why Toto Wolff is optimistic Kimi Antonelli can beat Lewis Hamilton next year

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Lewis Hamilton’s 12-season partnership with Mercedes will come to an end following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. No driver has ever taken part in more races for a single team.

Hamilton has also won six of his seven titles with the Silver Arrows. That makes it the most successful combination ever, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s stint at Ferrari (five championships).

But none of this changes the fact that, from next year, Hamilton and Mercedes will be rivals. On-track battles will be inevitable.

Ferrari are third in this year’s constructors’ championship, while Mercedes are fourth. 112 points separate them, with talk that Mercedes could challenge for a top-three berth quickly petering out.

Toto Wolff welcomes the additional wind-tunnel time that comes with finishing a spot lower in the standings. This has helped McLaren (P4 last year) overhaul Red Bull in 2024.

One thing that could hold Mercedes back, in theory, is the elevation of Kimi Antonelli. Team principal Wolff has downplayed expectations for Antonelli, who will need time to adapt and is bound to make mistakes as the third-youngest debutant in F1 history.

Toto Wolff says Kimi Antonelli will bring ‘youth and freshness’ to Mercedes

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Wolff looked ahead to Mercedes’ battle with Hamilton and Ferrari next year. While they will remain close to Hamilton off-track, they will be determined to prove that he made a mistake by leaving.

To that end, Wolff says Antonelli’s arrival will reinvigorate the team. He’s already brought a ‘smile’ into the organisation.

George Russell, who will turn 27 before the 2025 season-opener in Australia, is poised to become the senior figure within the garage. Russell has notched 122 race starts, two victories and 14 podiums.

“I think we had such a great run with Lewis over the last 12 years,” he said. “He’s always going to be part of the family.

“But obviously, as a competitor, when we try to beat him next year, Kimi joining George clearly brings momentum with it, plus youth and freshness. You can feel the kind of smile that is in your organisation with having an 18-year-old in a car.”

Lewis Hamilton did something in Singapore that Kimi Antonelli ‘didn’t expect’

Antonelli has had the chance to observe Hamilton this year ahead of his promotion. He’s hoping to emulate the Briton by winning races in his rookie year.

Hamilton missed out on the championship by one point in 2007, having joined contenders McLaren at the outset. He would then win it a year later.

Antonelli ‘learned a lot’ from Hamilton in Singapore, where he listened to his conversations with the engineers. He ‘didn’t expect’ him to be so helpful.

The Italian is also likely to go up against Max Verstappen next year in a close fight at the front. Antonelli says Verstappen is a ‘great person’, even if many of his Mercedes colleagues will still remember the acrimony of the 2021 season.