by Although Toto Wolff predicted a shot of “momentum” with Kimi Antonelli, he admits Mercedes will miss Lewis Hamilton’s experience at times.
Hamilton and Mercedes have achieved record-breaking success together: Hamilton won six of his seven titles in a period of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship triumphs for Mercedes between 2014 and 21. However, that partnership is coming to an end.
Mercedes admits Lewis Hamilton’s “experience” is missing at times
From F1 2025, Hamilton will wear the red of Ferrari after agreeing a multi-year deal to travel to Maranello, while Mercedes is promoting its Italian teenage sensation Antonelli as Hamilton’s F1 2025 replacement as he prepares to partner George to become Russell.
This youthful freshness appeals to Wolff, although he did not deny that, on the other hand, there will be times when they could benefit from the experience of Hamilton – statistically the most successful F1 driver – but which they will lose.
“I think we have had a great experience with Lewis over the last 12 years. “He will always be part of the family,” Wolff is quoted by the Italian arm of Motorsport.com.
“But of course as a competitor, if we try to beat him next year, Kimi will join George and bring both drive and youth and freshness.
“You can feel the smiles in the team when you have an 18-year-old on board a car. But of course there will be times when Lewis’ experience would benefit the team.
“Kimi will have a steep learning curve ahead of her but it is absolutely the right thing for the team and there is no one who would have done it differently.”
Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari: All the details you need
👉 Answers to your questions: Everything you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move
👉 Revealed: The remarkable 36-hour timeline behind Lewis Hamilton’s shocking Ferrari switch
Hamilton’s departure will entail major tasks for Antonelli, but he has had numerous conversations with the seven-time world champion and been given the opportunity to view his data, which led to an interesting discovery that was very positive for Antonelli and Mercedes.
“He’s very nice and talks to me a lot,” Antonelli said of Hamilton in an interview with Hamilton Sky Sport Italy at the Festival dello Sport.
“And if you look at the data, his driving style seems similar to mine.
“I was in Singapore and listened to him talk to the engineers – I learned a lot.”
Antonelli made his F1 debut with Mercedes in FP1 at Monza and will be back in Mexico in W15.
Read on – George Russell proposes adjusting F1’s cost cap for rookie accident claims
