Lewis Hamilton turned 39 recently (January 7), and Mercedes has been trying to find a suitable replacement for him for some time. The head of the Formula 1 team, Toto Wolff, specifically talked about the pilot who can one day take the place of the multiple world champion.

Toto Wolff considers 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli a possible successor to Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1

Hamilton has extended his deal with Mercedes until 2025, but it may not be the Briton’s last contract with the team, which has eight consecutive constructors’ world titles (between 2014 and 2021).

Lewis still shows a “hunger” for victories, and with a very good single-seater, he could once again expect to fight for the top, where Max Verstappen has been single-handed for several seasons.

Toto Wolff admitted that he has a very talented youngster under his guidance and that he could one day be the perfect replacement for Hamilton.

We are talking about the 17-year-old Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Born in Bologna on August 25, 2006, Andrea has already impressed in all junior categories. According to the British media, the young pilot is considered the “jewel in the crown” of the Mercedes team.

This season, Andrea was promoted to Formula 2, where he will compete for the Prema Racing team.

Toto Wolff wants the fantastic pressure around the youngster to be eased a bit, but admits that’s normal when you’re dealing with a special talent.

“We’ve had Kimi in our sights since 2012, even then he was a great kid. You saw the character and it was already strong.

I had him in my garage and he was already showing a lot of confidence. His karting record was huge and he won all the junior formulas at the time.

But we must be very careful with him, with everything that exists around him. Bringing it into Formula 2 is a very big step, these single-seaters are heavier and much more powerful.

If we give him time and don’t expect him to “kill” the competition in the first season, then I think he can be a great driver. He is only 17 years old, he is so young,” said Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal.

We will remind that in the eternal ranking of Formula 1 champions, Lewis Hamilton has now equaled the legendary Michael Schumacher (both have 7 world championship titles).

Michael Schumacher triumphed in the seasons of 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, and Lewis Hamilton became world champion in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

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