Toto Wolff names the ‘strongest’ candidate to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes… and explains how the driver has won him over as he prepares to make a big decision

Toto Wolff has revealed which driver is in the “strongest position” to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows boss has a blockbuster decision to make in the coming months: Hamilton, who has been with Mercedes since 2013, will move to Ferrari by 2025.

Carlos Sainz, the man he will replace and winner of this season’s Australian GP, ​​is an obvious candidate to go the other way and take Hamilton’s seat.

Max Verstappen would be the first option if he leaves Red Bull, while Fernando Alonso had breakfast with Wolff in February, which sparked the rumors.

Sebastian Vettel’s name has also come up, as he is a four-time world champion without a contract.

However, Toto Wolff has named Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a 17-year-old F2 driver, as the candidate in the “strongest position.”

‘[Antonelli] It is definitely a very strong contender. I want to see how his F2 season plays out, but we’ll wait and see what happens with some of the other F1 drivers. I don’t doubt his speed, talent and ability.

“We would not have supported him in karting until now if we did not believe that he had the potential to enter F1 and do so with Mercedes. Many young drivers have shown in the past that they can take that step.

‘My feeling right now is that I don’t want to rush [the decision]because Kimi is part of the ideas for next year and is in the strongest position, and that is why we do not need to rush to make any other decisions.

“Obviously some of the other big drivers are going to make a decision on what to do soon, but there’s a feeling that I shouldn’t make the decision too quickly.”

Antonelli may be an unknown name to those who don’t follow motorsport, but he is making waves at the level below F1.

The 17-year-old Mercedes protégé, who currently drives alongside Ferrari wonderkid Oliver Bearman in the Prema Formula 2 team.

Antonelli will have his first experience in a Formula One car later this month as Mercedes waits prepare the young Italian driver for a possible seat next year.

‘We want to give you the feeling of what a really good car is like. And then we will put it in the 2022 car to see what the difference is,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told F1 TV at the Japanese Grand Prix.

“I’m really excited and happy to see [Antonelli] in an F1 car. She has been with us since she was 11 years old.

“I have a photo of him standing next to me on the center console when he was a karting baby and now witnessing his development into an F1 driver is something I’m really proud of.”

Antonelli will drive the Mercedes W12, which Lewis Hamilton drove during the 2021 season, where he lost the chance to claim his eighth World Championship to Max Verstappen.

The two-day test will take place at Imola on April 16 and 17, with the teenager looking to acclimatise to an F1 car with the aim of impressing Mercedes.