MERCEDES: “WE WANT TO WRITE A NEW SUCCESS STORY WITH ANTONELLI”
Toto Wolff aims to create a success story with 2025 Formula 1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, similar to the one he created with Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes’ young driver Kimi Antonelli is set to take Lewis Hamilton’s place in 2025. Team principal Wolff mentioned that it took him only “five minutes” to choose Antonelli as Hamilton’s successor after learning about Hamilton’s decision to leave.
Following Hamilton’s successes at Mercedes, Wolff wants Antonelli to achieve greatness like the seven-time world champion. In a statement to Autosprint, Wolff said, “The career that inspired me the most was Hamilton’s.” He added, “In fact, back when Hamilton was a rookie, you could test rookie drivers better than you can now.” He recalled that Ron had suggested Hamilton should take his time adapting to F1 because Fernando Alonso was also at McLaren at that time.
“However, that didn’t happen; Lewis became competitive and successful right away.”
“I think with the current preparations, Kimi can also be competitive from the moment he gets in our car.”
“But F1 is very different now compared to when Hamilton joined. There are many more dimensions and directions than in the past.”
“Additionally, there is more pressure and social media. Therefore, I believe it is important to ensure everything is moving in the right direction, to maintain our priorities, and to avoid unnecessary distractions.”
“Our goal is to create a new success story with Antonelli, just like we did with Hamilton,” he said.
