Since Saturday in Monza, it's been official: Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli will follow in Lewis Hamilton's footsteps in Formula 1 in 2025. The record world champion will contest the last chapter of his career with Ferrari, thus freeing up the cockpit at Mercedes. After a difficult start to the year for the team, the team's three victories brought a breakthrough in the summer. As the season progresses and his successor is announced, Hamilton is feeling a sense of melancholy.
“I knew it since events and I also knew that it would be announced this morning. And when I woke up, it was definitely very, very surreal that it was now officially confirmed that my cockpit, which I had had for so long, was going,” said the seven-time world champion. He had originally signed with Mercedes for two more years in 2023. He had a change of heart during the last winter break, after which he got out of the contract and signed with Ferrari, who announced him for 2025 in February.
In the months that followed, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff built around Max Verstappen, but with no prospect of signing the reigning champion, Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli increasingly became an option to succeed Lewis Hamilton. Although the 39-year-old was informed about the negotiations and knew about his successors before the announcement, the announcement was a life-changing experience for him: “It was quite emotional this morning. But I'm really happy for Kimi and the team. I know that Kimi will do a great job.
The 18-year-old Italian was accepted into Mercedes' junior program in 2019. Hamilton has high hopes for his successors, who are following in his footsteps in two ways. Not only is he succeeding him at Mercedes. Since Hamilton himself came from the GP2 series in 2007 and McLaren made his debut in a top Formula 1 team, no young driver has been thrown in at the deep end like this. George Russell, for example, spent three years at Williams before his promotion to Mercedes.
“He's a great boy, he's got a great family around him and a bright head on his shoulders, and he's very talented,” Hamilton praises the youngster. He has no doubt that the shooting star is up to the task at the top of the world: “He'll do well, I'm very happy for him.”
After Monza, Hamilton himself will have eight more race weekends with Mercedes, for whom he has competed in a record number of 237 Grands Prix since 2013. The feeling of farewell has been with him ever since he decided to join Ferrari. “It's there all year, at every race. When I come here – I love my team so much and we've been through a hell of a lot together. It gets emotional at every race because we're together in all these places for the last time.” “And with every race, my last time in a Mercedes comes closer. It's definitely going to be tough,” said the Briton.
