When Lewis Hamilton decided to bring his iconic chapter with Mercedes to a close at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, all eyes were on who would replace the seven-time world champion.
Team principal Toto Wolff was under no illusions that he had a virtually impossible task ahead of him.
Mercedes had won 14 championships with Lewis Hamilton after he joined the team from McLaren in 2013.
It ended up being the most successful partnership in Formula 1 history and replicating that with a new driver is set to be an almost impossible task.
His teammate George Russell will hope that he’s given the backing to try and emulate Hamilton, but there’s only one man on the grid who has proven that he’s capable of being as dominant as Hamilton in the right car.
Max Verstappen enters the 2025 Formula 1 season as a four-time world champion and will hope he can match Michael Schumacher’s record of winning five titles on the spin.
Wolff made his interest in Verstappen clear as soon as he knew Hamilton was moving on.
Turbulence within the Red Bull team made a seismic signing in the F1 driver market feasible at one point before Verstappen ended up committing his future to the Anglo-Austrian team.
Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but also has no plans to stick around in Formula 1 forever.
His father Jos Verstappen has admitted Max could leave Red Bull if they underperform and Mercedes would be high on his list of potential destinations if they came to pass.
Toto Wolff explains signing Max Verstappen for Mercedes was ‘never a plan’
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Wolff was asked how close he was to securing Verstappen’s signature. Wolff explained: “There was never a plan.
“We always talked and kept the line of communication open.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
“At some point, he said that he wanted to stay where he was for now because it felt right to him.
“And I said we’d go with Kimi [Antonelli] because it felt right to us too. And now we’ll see where it all takes us.”
Instead of signing Verstappen, Wolff took inspiration from the Red Bull setup and promoted a driver from within.
Now, the 2025 F1 season will see Andrea Kimi Antonelli make his debut alongside Russell and there’s already a lot of hype surrounding the Italian teenager.
Toto Wolff very excited about Kimi Antonelli’s F1 debut with Mercedes
It’s hard to think of a driver who has more expectations on his shoulders than Kimi Antonelli ahead of his Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
Few drivers who are already on the grid would feel comfortable replacing Hamilton at Mercedes given his record, but Antonelli’s lack of experience may end up benefitting him in this scenario.
While he may say that he understands the task ahead of him, it’s unlikely that any young driver in his position would fully comprehend the challenge he faces this year.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff
Not only that, but Antonelli ended up being the alternative to Verstappen in Mercedes’ thinking, highlighting just how highly they think of him.
Antonelli completed a rigorous testing program in 2024 to get up to speed in Mercedes’ various Formula 1 cars.
On Wednesday, Antonelli began work at Jerez in a 2020 Mercedes F1 car to continue to hone his skills and further develop his relationship with his new engineers.
It’s vital that he gets as many laps under his belt as possible before the lights go out at Albert Park in March.
