Toto Wolf has said that he settled on Kimi Antonelli and George Russell as Mercedes' 2025 driver line-up “five minutes” after Lewis Hamilton informed him that he would pass in the group to join Ferrari next season.
The F1 world was overwhelmed when Hamilton's change to the Scuderia was affirmed back in February, with the seven-time title holder having enacted a delivery choice in his agreement to consider the move.
Select: ‘Kimi will be the genuine article' – Wolff on Antonelli's marking, Russell's senior job and his Hamilton relationship
Hypothesis then mounted over who might supplant Hamilton at the Silver Bolts, which saw reports proliferate that Maximum Verstappen could be a potential choice notwithstanding the Dutchman having an agreement with Red Bull the entire way to completion of 2028.
While Wolff was open about marking Verstappen, the crew at last declared during the Italian Fabulous Prix weekend that 18-year-old Antonelli would accomplice Russell one year from now.
MONZA, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Group and Toto
Wolff says that he knew from a beginning phase that he believed Antonelli should accomplice Russell at Mercedes in 2025
With the youth having been firmly connected to the seat over ongoing months, Wolff was gotten some information about the course of events of pursuing his choice – to which he uncovered that he had set upon the thought rapidly after Hamilton's flight was affirmed.
“I decided five minutes after Lewis Hamilton let me know that he's going to Ferrari,” said Wolff.
Examination: Why Mercedes decided to face a challenge and sign 18-year-old Antonelli for 2025
“Clearly we were talking about different choices and taking a gander at the Maximum thought – we didn't limit it totally with seeing what occurred at Red Bull.
“Yet, naturally that is the line-up with these two [Russell and Antonelli] that I generally needed, remembering the optimizing that we did with Kimi and everything related there as well, however that was quickly the very thing that I needed to do.”
MONZA, ITALY – AUGUST 31: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Prophet Red Bull Hustling on searches in
Verstappen had been connected to a change to Mercedes in spite of holding an agreement with Red Bull all the way through of 2028
Thusly, Wolff was additionally tested on whether he had now abandoned the chance of Verstappen joining Mercedes later on, driving him to repeat that the group are centered around Antonelli and Russell.
“What I valued in managing them [Verstappen's team], it's super clear,” Wolff made sense of. “I don't be a tease outside.
WATCH: Wolff acclaims youthful ability Antonelli as the ‘drawn out eventual fate' of Mercedes
“I've generally said it, I got perhaps captured out by the entire circumstance, yet I've not engaged any conversations with any drivers while giving everything from the group to make it a triumph.
“For this reason our concentration in the group is all on George and Kimi, and that is the very thing I likewise said. There's no conversation, there's no apprehensions about the thing are doing in 2026, in light of the fact that presently it's around 2024 and 2025.”
