Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was faced with the unenviable task last season of replacing Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion who was central to Mercedes becoming a force in Formula 1.
The German made a bold choice, which was to replace the experience of Hamilton with the complete inexperience of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian who had been nurtured by Mercedes for many years.
Whilst nobody has ever doubted that Antonelli has talent, Wolff was left fielding questions about how the dynamics within the team will change with Hamilton‘s experience heading to Ferrari and Antonelli‘s inexperience coming into Mercedes. With the Italian having taken pole position for the Sprint race at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, Wolff is feeling pretty good about his choices.
Wolff talks up Antonelli’s development
Speaking to the press after Free Practice 1 in Miami, including Total-Motorsport.com, Wolff was asked about how George and Kimi are able to fill the void left by Hamilton in the Mercedes team. He was quick to point out that there has not been any sort of falling out with Hamilton and the time had come for a change.
“First of all, I want to avoid some headlines. We’re still great friends with Lewis,” Wolff explained. “I spent a lot of time with him traveling, and we still see each other.
“It came to a point last year where—it’s like spending 12 years in a row on holiday with your best friend—eventually you say, ‘Maybe do something else.’ For Lewis, he needed a refresh, a reinvention. Ferrari is iconic—no doubt about that. And certainly, he got terms that were interesting for him.”
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Moving onto the decision to bring Antonelli in, Wolff said: “With us, Kimi was already in the starting blocks. Eventually, it was going to be this year or next year to bring him in. Bringing him in this year gives us a learning year before the new regulations kick in. He’s going to know all the tracks—for example, this one he’s never been to—and that felt like the right decision.”
A different dynamic at Mercedes
Toto Wolff was asked if there is a different atmosphere at Mercedes without Hamilton, to which he explained that there is a changing dynamic with a different driver in Antonelli but not a new atmosphere.
“No, I wouldn’t say so. Lewis was part of the family, and as a racing driver, he knew exactly what he wanted. The engineers and mechanics knew him, and he knew them. We got along—you have good days and bad days, strengths and weaknesses—but when you know someone that well, it’s easy to manage,” Wolff said.
“Now, the dynamic is different. George has massively stepped up as the senior driver in the team. Kimi’s almost like the younger brother coming in. They work well together, which is very pleasing to see. Kimi doesn’t stress too much. He’s just building up constantly, and he can rely on George when it comes to lap times and racing. So spirits are high.”
