Toto Wolff confesses to being ‘excited’ about ‘post Lewis Hamilton era’ with Kimi Antonelli
Lewis Hamilton departs Mercedes after spending over a decade to join Ferrari in 2025.
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Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff, and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has expressed his excitement about Kimi Antonelli‘s 2025 debut. Antonelli has signed a 1-year deal with the Silver Arrows and will replace seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton next season.
Kimi Antonelli is one of the most promising youngsters in the current era of motorsport. With Lewis Hamilton‘s departure to Ferrari, the 18-year-old will now bring about the dawn of a new era at the Brackley-based team.
Toto Wolff has thereafter cited the importance of Kimi Antonelli‘s signing with the coming of new regulations in 2026. Wolff furthermore claimed that the team is energized to perform and deliver results despite Hamilton’s departure next season.
So there's a lot of energy. And certainly from the Mercedes team side, we see an era ending with Lewis. It's been the longest driver-team pairing that has existed. And we're embarking on something different and new. And on top of that, the 2026 regulations where it's all going to be reset. So, yeah, exciting times.Toto Wolff told the media including RacingNews365
Hamilton leaves Mercedes as the longest-serving driver in their Formula 1 history. He will now seek to write a new chapter at the Maranello-based Ferrari, looking to replicate the kind of success he amassed during the turbo-hybrid era with Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton hopeful of finding pace in next races after lackluster Monza outing
Mercedes has not been up to par with their performances after the summer break this campaign. Lewis Hamilton finished P5 at the Italian Grand Prix and has since shared his thoughts on the team’s plans moving forward.
There's definitely some performance to come over the course of the next few races. We do have small bits. I don't know if we have anything huge coming, but hopefully we have some more performance. I'm hoping if we make some progress, there will be some tracks that will be a little bit better than we are [at Monza].Lewis Hamilton via motorsport
Hamilton claims that W15 will function better along the upcoming circuits compared to Monza. He has also stated the team’s intent in bringing slight changes to the car’s setup, which might help recover some of the lost pace.
The Silver Arrows have ambitiously targeted a top-three finish in the constructors’ championship. The upcoming races at Baku and Marina Bay will be of utmost importance as they try to notch better results and points.
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Yashraj Chowdhury
(599 Articles Published)