Mercedes have confirmed Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton from the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Hamilton announced in February that he will join Ferrari next year and Mercedes have chosen rising star Antonelli, who turned 18 last Sunday, to be George Russell’s team-mate on a one-year contract.
Antonelli made his Mercedes debut in practice at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday but crashed in the early stages of the session, taking some of the gloss off of what was meant to be a celebratory weekend for driver and team.
He will become the third youngest F1 driver of all-time when he makes his competitive debut at the season-opener in Australia next March at 18 years and 203 days old – only Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll were younger when they made their debuts.
Antonelli’s appearance at Monza was part of the programme the team have designed to fast-track him to the top of the sport, with testing of old Mercedes cars and further F1 practice sessions to come before the end of the season.
Antonelli was linked with a possible switch to Williams to replace Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the 2024 season, but Wolff decided the young star would be better served completing his Formula 2 campaign with Prema Racing and testing programme with Mercedes.
“It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025,” said Antonelli.
“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity.
“I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team.
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Lewis Hamilton believes Kimi Antonelli would be a great option to fill the seat at Mercedes ahead of his departure for Ferrari.
“I’m also really excited to become George’s team-mate. He came through the team’s junior programme just like myself and is someone I have a huge amount of respect for.
“He is super-fast, a multiple Grand Prix winner, and has already helped me improve as a driver. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to deliver on track.”
Mercedes leave door open for Verstappen
Antonelli and Russell’s contracts both expire at the end of 2025, so Mercedes don’t have any drivers confirmed for 2026 when the new F1 regulations begin.
Toto Wolff has publicly made it clear he wants to sign Max Verstappen from Red Bull and held talks with the reigning world champion’s management over the summer.
“What I like with Max, Raymond and Jos Verstappen is that we talk straight. We don’t need to push each other,” said Wolff at last week’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“We have been in this too long. We’ve taken the decision for drivers for next year. This is what our full effort is going into.
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Lewis Hamilton believes Kimi Antonelli would be a great option to fill the seat at Mercedes ahead of his departure for Ferrari.
“Hopefully that’s going to be the line-up for 2026 and beyond. But that doesn’t close the door on Max being with us in 2026 or beyond, because we want to still keep all the options open in the same way he does. So what I enjoyed in our conversations is there is never a hidden agenda.
“Somehow I have that feeling [that Mercedes and Verstappen’s paths will cross]. But I don’t know when that could be. Whether it’s ’26, whether it’s three years’ later, I don’t know yet.”
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Martin Brundle comments on the news that Kimi Antonelli has been confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes.
What seats are yet to be confirmed for 2025?
There is uncertainty at Red Bull and RB as Daniel Ricciardo does not have a contract for next year, but the team also want to get Liam Lawson into one of their seats.
Ricciardo has made it clear that he wants to return to Red Bull and appears to be preferred to Yuki Tsunoda, who was confirmed to stay at RB for 2025 earlier this year.
The situation is complicated by Sergio Perez’s disappointing form before the summer break, even though the Mexican is on a Red Bull contract which runs out at the end of 2026.
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Daniel Ricciardo believes that if he ‘does the job’ he will have a seat at Red Bull, but says Liam Lawson deserves a seat.
That leaves Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026 when the new F1 regulations begin. There has been little noise coming out of the Sauber and Audi camp after their initial plan to sign Carlos Sainz didn’t come to fruition, with the Spaniard joining Williams.
Nico Hulkenberg has already been announced as a Sauber driver for next year, so at least one of Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu will lose their seat. With the way the driver market has gone, there’s a chance one of them will stay for 2025, unless Sauber opt for an F2 driver or someone from another motorsport category.
Sky Sports F1’s live Italian GP schedule
Saturday August 31
8.25am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Italian GP Practice Three (session starts 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Italian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 1
7:30am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: The ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2024 Formula 1 season continues with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime