Antonelli to replace Hamilton in Mercedes next season

Mercedes confirmed that they have signed a contract with a young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli, after their long-time driver Lewis Hamilton betrayed them with his decision to join Ferrari next year.

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Mercedes has decided to promote Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Formula 2 to Formula 1 in 2025. The decision came 7 months after Lewis Hamilton announced his surprising move to Ferrari next season after 12 years with the Silver Arrows.

The young star, who only turned 18 last Sunday, has already quite some reputation in the world of motosport. He joined the Mercedes junior programme only at 11 years of age. Later on, he won the European Karting Championship in 2020 and 2021. At the age of 15, he debuted in the Italian Formula 4 in 2021, the year after he won the championship with 13 wins out of 20 races and in the same year claimed the ADAC Formula 4 title.

His reputation was growing, and after winning both the Formula Regional Championships in Europe and the Middle East in 2023, Mercedes and Prema decided that the talented young driver should skip F3 and move straight to F2 for the 2024 season. In 2025 Antonelli will drive alongside George Russell, from who he will try to learn how it works in the premier class.

"It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025."

"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," said Antonelli, who got full support and encouragement from Mercedes after his crash in FP1 yesterday.

“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,” Antonelli added.

Toto Wolf, the Team Pricipal of Mercedes said: "Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed. We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership."