The biggest mystery baffles F1 fans: the Mercedes driver lineup for the 2025 season. With Lewis Hamilton ending his 11-year journey, the Silver Arrows are looking for a credible replacement. However, replacing a seven-time world champion is never easy, leaving the Mercedes squad with ample questions to answer. While the squad appears uncertain regarding the second seat in 2025, the choice has already been made.
Several reports claim Mercedes will pick the ‘future Hamilton’ to partner with George Russell. Everyone awaits the official announcement, which will likely be made during the Italian GP with an official ‘handover ceremony.’ However, Toto Wolff accidentally spilt the beans during a recent media interaction.
Toto Wolff Wants Kimi Antonelli And Max Verstappen To Be Future Faces Of Mercedes
Since the announcement of Hamilton’s Ferrari move in February, two major questions have been hovering through the paddock— where Carlos Sainz will go and who will replace Hamilton? While one of these is solved, the other is on the brink of being solved. In a recent De Telegraaf report, Dutch journalist Erik van Haren claimed Kimi Antonelli is set to don the iconic black-grey racing suit. According to Haren, Wolff had a ‘slip of the tongue’ moment during the media interaction. During this interaction, he accidentally cited Russell and Antonelli as Mercedes drivers for 2025. These were Wolff’s comments, as quoted by van Haren: “The two drivers in our car next year have our full support. I want to make it work with George and Kimi.”
Moreover, an Italian publication claimed Antonelli would sign the Merecdes contract during the Italian GP. Additionally, the Italian prodigy will be driving Hamilton’s F1 car in the FP1 session in Monza as per the FIA regulations. However, signing Kimi is not the ultimate goal of the Mercedes chief. His ambitions are bigger than that, as he continues to aim for Red Bull starlet Max Verstappen. The Austrian believes Verstappen might be interested in joining the Silver Arrows during the ’26 regulatory revamp. In an interview, Wolff claimed the doors are ‘not closed’ for Verstappen for 2026 and beyond. He further confirmed that the team wants to keep all the best possible options open, and they might think of chatting with the Verstappen clan.
Christian Horner’s Sly Dig At Toto Wolff
While the rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes has subsided in recent incidents, verbal exchanges are still ongoing. Especially between team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff, who never miss a chance to criticize each other.
Christian Horner discussed the halt period during summer break and how no work was done in the meantime. However, he gave extra emphasize on the “no world was done” phrase. A reporter asked the reason for stressing the statement. The Briton claimed it would make Toto aware of the situation; otherwise, Horner would be in trouble.