SUMMARY
- Toto Wolff is looking for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton who will leave Mercedes at the end of 2024 season.
- Wolff has his eyes on the F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell.
Max Verstappen has clearly been dominating f1 in the past couple of years. Max, when he joined the grid was just 17 years old, making him one of the youngest drivers in f1. He joined the sport with Toro Rosso now known as VISA Cash App RB.
However, this was not the 3-time World Champion’s first choice. His first option was Mercedes but was turned down by Toto Wolff. This has been the biggest opportunity missed out by the Silver Arrows.
F1 TV presenter Will Buxton recently spoke about how the Austrian would not want to repeat the same mistake with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He believes Toto is fixated on replacing Lewis with the F2 driver.
Will Buxton on Why Andrea Kimi Antonelli is essential in the eyes of Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton dropped and shocking announcement of moving to Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season. Toto is left with the hunt for a driver to fill the Briton’s seat.
While Mercedes has a history of acquiring World Champions to drive their car, Toto is willing to take a different approach this time. The Austrian is looking into their Junior Driver Kimi Antonelli who is currently racing for Prema in f2. The Italian has impressive records racing for F2 and F4.
Kimi Skipped f3 and jumped straight to f2, where he managed to finish above his teammate Oliver Bearman, who also replaced Carlos. After completing a year in F2 the driver has the opportunity to move to F1. According to the Red Flags podcast, Will Buxton has shared his thoughts on why Toto would go with the Italian as a replacement for Lewis.
He said, “Antonelli is going to Mercedes, I think for me Toto has made his mind up, he wants Antonelli in the seat,” He added, “Because he’s pissed, he is pissed that he missed the opportunity to give Max the opportunity back in 2014. So you put Antonelli in the seat.”
While it is risky to take up a young driver to replace the World Champion, with enough time and reduced pressure of winning, the Italian can get a better understanding of the car and the functioning of the team. This can be useful when the new regulations are introduced in 2026.
Oliver Bearman’s performance at Saudi Arabia GP is Proof that Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the perfect choice
Oliver Bearman who is teammates with Kimi Antonelli got an opportunity to show off his skills at F1. The driver was called in to replace Carlos Sainz for the Saudi Arabia GP. The British driver started at the 11th position. With barely any experience in an f1 car, he managed to gain a significant position and finished in 7th.
Oliver Bearman completed the most overtakes at the 2024 Saudi Arabia GP with 4, according to RacingPass.
Not bad for an 18-year-old making his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari. pic.twitter.com/Pjs6enCJXl
— Daniel Valente 🏎️ (@F1GuyDan) March 11, 2024
Oliver Bearman’s performance is proof that Kimi Antonelli is an attractive option. Kimi is paired with Bearman at Preama racing. The Italian has always managed to finish races above his teammate throughout the season. It is only natural to believe the same can be replicated if Antonelli moves to F1.