An Italian solution for the post-Hamilton era
The entire paddock is shaken by the rumors regarding the possible (but now everyone takes it for granted) sensational Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari starting from the 2025 season. A totally new dynamic that would destabilize many balances on the grid.
In Maranello a couple would be formed with enormous media appeal, but also complex to manage; Carlos Sainz would find himself living separated at home for a year and would have to find a seat for 2025; Mercedes should finally decide who to field in the single-seater which – from 2013 to today – has always had the seven-time British world champion as its undisputed owner.
The answer to this last question could bring further good news to Italy. Radio-paddock in fact suggests that the favored candidate ours would inherit Hamilton's seat Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old from Bologna has been part of the Mercedes Academy since 2019 and is a protégé of Toto Wolff.
Wolff's protégé
The idols who inspire him are two: Ayrton Senna, who he was able to admire only through online videos and thanks to the stories he heard, and Valentino Rossi, who he instead had the opportunity to know personally. His sporting CV reflects who he is destined to do great things: in just two years, between 2022 and 2023, Antonelli won four championships, imposing himself in Italian F4, German F4, European Formula Regional and Middle East Formula. This year he made a double leap, going directly to F2 without going through the 'traditional' process of FIA Formula 3. A choice that could also prove successful due to the introduction of the new cars, which will mitigate his experience gap with his other rivals.
One year of F2, then the big leap
According to some rumors we have collected Hamilton's renewal was also designed to 'keep the seat warm' for Antonelli's arrival, once the Italian had demonstrated that he was ready. At this point, in the event of a good F2 season – even without necessarily winning the title – Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be on the launching pad for join George Russell in the 2026 line-up.
In this way Mercedes would give #63 the 'captain's armband', allowing Antonelli to making his debut in a top team but without excessive pressure on himself. A plan which, if it were to bear the desired results, could guarantee the Brackley team a young and potentially very intriguing line-up for many years to come. A final curiosity: in recent days Antonelli visited the Brackley headquarters, stopping to talk to the team's employees. An appetizer of what we will see from 2025 onwards? The driver market has proven to be unpredictable.
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