There’s currently a clear favourite to succeed Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2025 season, according to ESPN. Mercedes have known since the winter that the seven-time world champion would be joining rivals Ferrari at the end of the year.
Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz claimed during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend that Toto Wolff could wait until late August to make a final decision on his line-up. More than half of the 2024 F1 grid is out of contract, and many drivers may be waiting on the Silver Arrows before they commit their future elsewhere.
However, based on ESPN’s report, it seems that Wolff already knows who’s most likely to be racing alongside George Russell next year. The Austrian’s top target has been reigning world champion Max Verstappen, but he’s under contract at Red Bull until the end of 2028.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who has lost his seat thanks to Hamilton’s arrival, is one of the drivers thought to be in contention. However, the Spaniard may not want to wait until the end of the summer to sign a contract given that he’s currently without a seat.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, a two-time F1 world champion, apparently has his eye on the drive with the Brackley outfit. Alonso, though, was involved in an incident with Russell at the Australian Grand Prix last month, and Martin Brundle feels it may have hurt his chances.
Mercedes set to overlook Sainz and Alonso for 2025 F1 seat
As it stands, Mercedes are ‘looking likely’ to sign academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season. With Verstappen seemingly committed to Red Bull, Wolff could look to an in-house replacement for Hamilton instead.
This could be bad news for Alonso, who’s been ‘waiting’ on Mercedes before he decides whether to remain with Aston Martin. Sainz is also in the running for a deal with the Silverstone outfit if Mercedes pass him up.
Antonelli is currently racing in the Formula 2 championship with Prema alongside Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman. He sits ninth in the standings right now, but enjoyed his best weekend so far last time out in Australia.
Mercedes set to take Kimi Antonelli risk
Antonelli is a driver with huge potential, having won five single-seater titles in the past two seasons. Figures inside the F1 paddock have already called him the next Verstappen.
Wolff also believes he could reach the level of Hamilton’s future teammate Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok says engineers marvelled at the pace he showed in his first test of an F3 car.
Despite that evident talent, jumping straight into a front-running F1 car is bound to be a massive challenge. Antonelli’s would-be partner Russell spent three years at Williams before he received the Mercedes call-up.
There was a school of thought that the 17-year-old would do the same to demonstrate his readiness for Mercedes. One journalist even claimed that he could jump into that car at the Italian Grand Prix if Logan Sargeant continues to struggle.
Chandhok feels that Sainz, a three-time race winner, would be a safer bet for Mercedes. But it appears that Antonelli was always Wolff’s plan-b if he couldn’t get Verstappen.
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