Lewis Hamilton is the most successful driver in the history of the Mercedes Formula 1 team.
Lewis Hamilton has managed an extremely successful career since joining the Silver Arrows in 2013. The Briton amassed six impressive world championships under the German carmaker’s tag.
Toto Wolff struck gold with the signing of Hamilton. Hence, the Austrian pointed out his ambitions to repeat this success with the prodigy Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli received the opportunity to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2025 season. The entire crew of the Brackley-based team has great hopes for the 18-year-old as a Silver Arrow. Amidst the ongoing season, Wolff highlighted his ambitions with Antonelli.
Toto Wolff claimed that he wanted Antonelli to follow a similar path to Hamilton during his debut with Mercedes. Hamilton’s development in the junior ranks and performances in Formula 1 happened when there were far more testing opportunities than what Kimi has access to now.
I think the project that inspired me more is the one that is more similar to Hamilton’s career, [Hamilton’s] growth in the junior categories and his impact in Formula 1 came at a time when you could test a lot more than Kimi has been able to do now.
Toto Wolff told Autosprint
In addition to this, Wolff noted that with Mercedes’ recent upturn in performance, Antonelli would have a great shot at being competitive. The Italian’s debut at the Italian GP practice showcased an impressive lap time, before his crash at the event. Hence, the Mercedes boss claimed that the goal for the 18-year-old was to create a similar story to Hamilton.
With the current preparation, Kimi can jump into our car and be competitive. The goal is to create a new success story as happened with Hamilton.
Toto Wolff added
F1 ‘different animal now’ compared to Lewis Hamilton’s debut era
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes debut was during an era when the team created the most dominant engine on the grid. Toto Wolff recalled Hamilton’s debut and noted that the current times were a ‘different animal’ as compared to back then. Modern racing has a lot more dimensions and facets as compared to the past, according to Wolff.
F1 now is a different animal than it was at the time of Hamilton’s debut. There are a lot more dimensions and facets compared to the past. There is more pressure and social media, so I think it is important to keep everything moving in the right direction, keep the right priorities and avoid what is not essential.
Toto Wolff noted
Kimi Antonelli will be the secondary racer behind the lead driver George Russell at Mercedes in the 2025 season. Hence, the Italian would have to work hard to prove his racing mettle against the prolific Brit. Regardless, the coming season would be highly exciting after witnessing multiple team changes for the drivers on the grid.