It’s approaching four months since Lewis Hamilton told Mercedes that he’d be joining Ferrari for 2025. And they’ve still yet to decide on his replacement.
Toto Wolff has been pushing to sign world champion Max Verstappen, but may have to wait until 2026. Until he receives a definitive ‘no’ from the Red Bull driver, he’s not making any final decision.
He’s one of three title winners on the current grid alongside Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Wolff held extensive talks with the Spaniard, but he signed a new deal at Aston Martin.
Hamilton is the most decorated driver in F1 history, having won seven championships and a record 103 races. The vast majority of that success has come at Mercedes, leaving a daunting hole for his successor to fill.
It’s looking like Carlos Sainz won’t be making the move to Brackley in an effective ‘swap’ with Ferrari. Sky Sports F1’s Craig Slater expects him to join Audi instead.
Given that Verstappen may be on the market in a year’s time, possible stop-gap signings have also been mentioned. These include Valtteri Bottas, who drove for the team between 2017 and 2020, former reserve driver Esteban Ocon and even the retired four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
Journalist says critics may jump on Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes
Another contender to replace Hamilton is 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli. The Silver Arrows academy driver is only four rounds into his Formula 2 career.
However, he boasts an outstanding record in the junior formulae, having won four titles in the last two seasons. And he’s consequently generating plenty of excitement at Mercedes, who see him as the next Charles Leclerc.
However, speaking on The Race’s YouTube channel, journalist Scott-Mitchell Malm aired his concerns about Antonelli spending his rookie year at Mercedes. He thinks his confidence could be permanently damaged if he has to deal with the same inconsistent car Hamilton and George Russell have driven since 2022.
In order to avoid damaging criticism on social media, it may be wise for Antonelli to start off at Williams. The Grove outfit, who fielded Russell for his first three years in the sport, have enquired about fielding the Italian in a practice session before he turns 18 in late August.
“If they have as much of a yo-yo-ing kind of season as they’ve had over the last three years, he could have weekends where he looks terrible and gets ravaged in the media and by fans on social media,” Mitchell-Malm said. “The risk of burning him would be quite great.
“I would be hesitant. It would be really cool if they did, but I think if there was a Williams seat going, it would just make more sense to me.”
George Russell at risk of losing Mercedes seat
Whether he arrives in 2025 or 2026, it seems inevitable that Antonelli will be in the Mercedes seat sooner or later. And with Verstappen possibly on the move too, it could spell trouble for George Russell.
Russell hasn’t necessarily done anything wrong up to this point. In fact, he’s been out-performing Hamilton by a decent margin this year.
But it’s been reported that he may have to find a new team) within a couple of years. He just doesn’t quite have the same appeal as Verstappen or Antonelli, the crown jewel of the Mercedes academy.
Much as Wolff’s team are struggling at the moment, Russell won’t be in any rush to leave. A major regulation change is on the horizon in 2026, and they embarked on a historic run of success after a major reset 10 years ago.
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