The seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of 2025 and join Ferrari, creating a vacancy at Mercedes for the upcoming season. With his exit, the team is hunting to bring a worthy driver to carry on the team’s track record. Team principal Toto Wolff has reportedly decided to choose the young driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, as their future driver.
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The rising young star in the world of motorsport, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is finding himself in the position of driving for Mercedes for the 2025 season.
Kimi Antonelli’s passion for racing started from a young age in karting and paved his way through the ranks of junior racing. In 2019, Antonelli joined as the Mercedes Junior Driver later he moved to Formula 4 winning several championships over the years. This year, he has joined as the junior driver for the team. Antonelli has been testing in Formula 1 cars even before the announcement of Hamilton’s exit.
Why is Mercedes considering a younger driver for the 2025 season?
Toto Wolff is not just about looking for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton but also about preparing for the challenges and opportunities in the coming years. The rising star now, Max Verstappen in the sport was being signed by Red Bull at a young age is a reminder of the importance of identifying and supporting talents early on in their careers.
In an interview with the The Red Flags podcast, the British Journalist Will Buxton, explained this decision of Toto, “Antonelli is going to Mercedes, I think for me Toto has made his mind up, he wants Antonelli in the seat.”
The opportunity to drive for a team with such a history and track record of success is both a privilege and a challenge for Kimi Antonelli. As Formula 1 is set to undergo various changes in the year 2026, Antonelli is an ideal candidate to lead Mercedes into this new era of F1. This debut will be a new era of hopes and dreams for Mercedes and fans alike.
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Fiza is a writer at The Sports Orbit, focusing on F1 coverage. She is currently pursuing her master’s in broadcasting journalism and has a profound love for motorsports. She finds F1 to be the most engaging among others due to its adrenaline rush. She got interested in the sport after watching an F1 race with her brother and uncle, and she’s been hooked ever since. Her favorite team is Mercedes and she is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Besides her dedication to F1, she enjoys activities like reading, practicing her calligraphy skills, and experimenting with cooking.
