Mercedes confirm official Hamilton replacement after shock Monza crash

Mercedes have officially announced who will replace Lewis Hamilton when he departs the team at the end of the season.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion dropped a bombshell earlier this campaign when he revealed that he would be linking up with Ferrari in 2025.

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Since then, speculation has rumbled regarding who could replace him at the Silver Arrows, with several candidates having been rumoured to be in contention.

Team chief Toto Wolff made no secret of his desire to land Max Verstappen, for example, whilst Carlos Sainz - the man Hamilton will replace at Ferrari - was also said to be in the mix at one stage before joining Williams.

Mercedes announce Kimi Antonelli

It will be another name heavily linked with the seat that drives alongside George Russell, though, with Mercedes confirming this morning that junior star Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be promoted to Formula 1.

Antonelli may have crashed in his official F1 debut at Monza on Friday, but Toto Wolff’s faith in the young Italian has not whittled as a result.

Speaking on the Mercedes website, Wolff explained: “Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed,”

“We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership.

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“Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.

“George has proved that he is one of the very best drivers in the world. He is not only fast, consistent, and determined, but has also developed into a strong leader within the team.

“Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport. We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process.

“In George, he has an experienced team-mate from which he can learn and hone his craft. I am confident that both will contribute greatly as we continue to build momentum and fight at the front of the field.”

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