Why is Mercedes so keen on signing 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli?

17-year-old Kimi Antonelli seems to Mercedes' only candidate to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton next season.

Why is Mercedes so keen on signing 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli?

Toto Wolff (L), Kimi Antonelli (R) (images via IMAGO)

Mercedes was left without a driver for 2025 when Lewis Hamilton announced his shock switch to Scuderia Ferrari. The Silver Arrows had no shortage of options for next season with multiple drivers becoming free agents. However, it seems that Toto Wolff has remained adamant on signing the 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli.

Kimi Antonelli is a Mercedes prodigy who made his F2 debut this season. It was believed that the Silver Arrows would promote the Italian driver to F1 in a couple of years. However, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move opened up a seat for the 17-year-old at Brackley right away.

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Toto Wolff certainly had a handful of top talents available for 2025, including Carlos Sainz. However, the Austrian billionaire signaled that the seat was open for Antonelli unless Mercedes manages to win over Max Verstappen. It is unlikely that Verstappen would leave Red Bull for the foreseeable future. This pegs the question, Why is Mercedes so keen on signing 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli?

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Mercedes doesn’t want to lose ‘another Max Verstappen’

Toto Wolff has acknowledged that he regrets not signing Max Verstappen in 2014. The Dutch driver joined the Red Bull program as it allowed him to make his F1 debut the following season. Unsurprisingly, Wolff was not happy to lose perhaps the talent of the generation a decade ago. Now, the Austrian billionaire wants to secure the next exciting talent.

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Mercedes is no longer the force it was a few years ago. The Silver Arrows have struggled to get back to the front of the grid in the ground-effect era. As such, Toto Wolff’s squad can afford to have a rookie driver in the lineup. Since the team is not in a realistic chance to win the world title in 2025.

Additionally, if the Kimi Antonelli gamble pays off, Mercedes would have the ideal long-term lineup comprising of the Italian driver and George Russell. The 17-year-old would prosper in Wolff’s guidance and could surely become the Max Verstappen of his generation. On the other hand, Russell would be motivated to take up the role of team leader.

Certainly, Mercedes seems to be placing all its bests on Kimi Antonelli. Although, no official confirmation has been made from any sides, FIA’s Super license rule change almost guarantees Antonelli’s seat at Brackley next season. Fans would be looking forward to seeing how things pan out for the Italian driver in the coming months.

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