formula 1
Report: Teenager Antonelli to succeed Hamilton
Andrea Kimi Antonelli could soon be racing in Formula 1. Photo
© David Davies/PA Wire/dpa
Who will succeed Hamilton at Mercedes? Much points to a huge talent from Italy.
Teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will succeed Formula 1 record world champion, according to a media report Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. The deal with the 17-year-old is a done deal, reported “Bild”. Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of this season and will drive for Ferrari in the future.
Statements by team boss Toto Wolff also point to the solution. The team has turned down Carlos Sainz, who is currently still driving for Ferrari, regarding a commitment for 2025, the 52-year-old Austrian told the pay-TV broadcaster Sky at the weekend. “We haven’t made a decision for next year yet, but we didn’t want to keep Carlos waiting because he has to make the decisions himself,” said Wolff.
Mercedes wants to reinvent itself
Sainz did a fantastic job. “But we have now taken a path to say that we want to reinvent ourselves a little in the future, and Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a role in that.” The 17-year-old skipped Formula 3 and is currently driving in Formula 2. The driver from the Mercedes junior team has also already tested old Silver Arrows.
Hamilton believes the young Italian is a good successor. He does not know what Mercedes’ plans are. “But if it were my job, if it were my role, then I would probably take Kimi,” said the 39-year-old in May. One of the drivers he wanted to drive alongside George Russell was also said to be world champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull.