Toto Wolff gave a strong hint at the Canadian Grand Prix that Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate should be another former F1 champion.
It has been alleged that Toto Wolff chose Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement based on his “ego.”
After 12 successful seasons with Mercedes, Hamilton will join Ferrari, Mercedes’ rival, in time for the 2025 season.
This shocking news has sparked speculation about who Mercedes might select to replace the British racing legend.
Since Hamilton’s announcement in February, Carlos Sainz has been the subject of rumors.
The Spaniard will be supplanted by Hamilton and, the way things are, doesn’t pull up a chair for next season.
At the Canadian Grand Prix this past weekend, Mercedes team principal Wolff dispelled those rumors and confirmed that Sainz will not race alongside George Russell in the upcoming season.
F1 legend Jacques Villeneuve, on the other hand, believes that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will almost certainly race for Mercedes in the upcoming season.
Additionally, he asserted that Wolff’s own ego was the impetus behind the request to promote him. Villeneuve told Sky Sports Germany: “Toto Wolff permits no other arrangement than Antonelli.
This will be Antonelli’s team in the future, it has been decided. He has been getting ready for this for a long time, and the ego of Toto Wolff also plays a big part in the decision to go with Antonelli.
He wants to demonstrate to the world that he supported the young Italian when he was just 12 years old.”
This comes on the heels of reports that Russell and Mick Schumacher, along with Antonelli, participated in a private test of an old Formula One vehicle at Silverstone at the beginning of May.
What’s more, the youngster has even been embraced by Hamilton himself as the seven-time title holder’s replacement.
“Carlos is a great driver, so I think wherever he goes I think he would be a positive for any team,” Hamilton stated openly.
Truly, I have no clue about what Toto’s arrangements are, however for my purposes, taking on a youth, in the event that it was my job, I would most likely interpretation of Kimi.”
When Austrian Wolff strongly hinted that the Silver Arrows would select Antonelli, a 17-year-old junior driver, over Sainz, he confirmed this.
“We just want to concentrate on Kimi, that is our future, young drivers,” Wolff stated to Sky Germany. We’ve told Carlos that we want to commit to that, to young drivers.
“First of all, I believe Carlos is deserving of the top seat. He has done an excellent job, but for us, we have decided to say, “You know what, we want to reinvent ourselves a little going forward.
Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a part in that.” We haven’t decided yet what to do for next year, but we didn’t want Carlos to wait because he needs to make his own decision. Fair, that is.He is doing an excellent job.
Adolescent wonder Antonelli at present contends in FIA Equation 2, having brought home numerous lesser single-seater championships at the initial season of asking since making the stride up from karting to hustling vehicles in 2021.
In August, the Italian will turn 18 years old, making him eligible to compete in the Dutch Grand Prix this year.
