Mercedes are open to considering a “bold” replacement for Lewis Hamilton which could even include a driver who hasn’t made his Formula 2 debut yet.
Hamilton’s shock decision to join Ferrari in 2025 leaves Mercedes with a vacancy alongside George Russell in its driver line-up.
Speaking to media including RaceFans for the first time after confirming Hamilton’s impending departure, team principal Toto Wolff said the news hands Russell a chance to establish himself as their new leading driver.
“We have two excellent drivers,” he said. “We have Lewis in his final year at Mercedes and George eager to go back in the car and perform.
“We need to put a car on the track that has more pace than last year’s car and we know how difficult it will be to compete not only with Red Bull, but also with the other ones.
“Also, of course, in all the Lewis discussions something that has not been talked enough is George. George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team. He is of the generation of Lando “Norris” and [Charles] Leclerc and some of the others and I couldn’t wish for a new team leader when Lewis leaves. No doubt about that.
“So we have such a solid foundation, such a quick and talented and intelligent guy in the car that we just need to take the right choice for the second driver, the second seat. And that’s not something I want to be rushed in.”
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Wolff indicated some drivers who recently extended contracts to drive for other teams would have been of interest to Mercedes had they been available. McLaren’s Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc have signed new deals with their respective teams since the new year.
“I guess that a few contracts have been signed a few weeks ago that we would have looked at that could have been interesting, but the timing here bit us a bit,” said Wolff. “But in a way I always like change because change provides you with opportunity.”
He likened the situation to Nico Rosberg’s shock departure from the team after he won the title for them in 2016. That led Mercedes to extract Valtteri Bottas from his Williams contract to fill their unexpected vacancy.
“In the same way we’ve embraced the Nico situation, and that was equally from one moment to the other unexpected, I’m really looking forward to taking the right decisions for the team together with my colleagues in who’s going to be in the seat next year. And maybe it’s a chance to do something bold.”
While Mercedes will have the pick of almost every driver already in F1, they also have one upcoming driver in Formula 2 this year, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old moved into the category after winning the Formula Regional European Championship last season, skipping Formula 3.
Although Wolff downplayed any talk of promoting Antonelli directly into F1 with Mercedes – in the same way Hamilton arrived with McLaren 17 years ago – he did not rule it out.
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“Kimi’s been with Mercedes since he was 11,” said Wolff. “He’s been in the junior programme and his junior career was very successful.
“I think what’s most important at this stage is that he concentrates on F2. I think we start to spin his mind or unleash rumours in the media onto him that’s not going to help his F2 campaign.
“He’s just stepped out of karts a few years ago and he’s not even 18. So I would rather not start any speculation about Kimi going into Formula 1 at that stage.”
The timing of Hamilton’s decision leaves Mercedes plenty of time to settle on the best possible replacement, Wolff added.
“When we decided, Lewis and us, to go for a very short-term contract, we knew why we were doing it. It was to leave him options open and, at the same time, us [too].
“There’s an exciting situation at the end of ’24 with some drivers becoming available, others just signed a few weeks ago so these ones would have been opportunities. So that timing, if it would have been six weeks earlier, there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is.
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“But in ’24 and ’25 and beyond, the driver market is very interesting. We need to look out to the future. Who is it that we can partner with George? What’s the best combination?
“I think in terms of the drivers that could hopefully join, there’s a variety of options. At this stage I wouldn’t want to commit to ‘this is when we are going to do it’, I want take my time.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
