“Another crash loading”: Fans react as Mercedes boss confirms Lewis Hamilton being replaced by Kimi Antonelli in Mexico FP1

On Wednesday, Mercedes announced Kimi Antonelli as their FP1 driver in the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix. The young Italian driver will replace Lewis Hamilton for the session. Following the announcement, fans on social media reacted to it by recalling Antonelli's recent outing in Italy where he crashed his Mercedes.

After an underwhelming performance at the recently concluded United States Grand Prix, Mercedes would want to focus on the next race in Mexico. However, prior to qualifying and race, they decided to give Antonelli another taste of the W-15.

Speaking about this, Wolff told the media:

"Kimi will also be in the car for his second FP1 session and we look forward to him continuing his development on track."

As the Mercedes boss' announcement spread across the F1 fraternity, fans began to recall the Italian driver's Monza incident. During the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, the Silver Arrows handed Hamilton's W-15 to Kimi Antonelli for FP1. However, Antonelli could not make best use of the chance as he crashed the Mercedes around the Parabolica turn.

Reacting to this announcement, fans took to X to express their views, with one fan writing:

"Another crash loading."

"It's going to be a great 10 mins session," another fan wrote, recalling Antonelli's FP1 session from Italy.

"crashtonelli about to bin it again," another fan wrote, reiterating the same.

Another fan wrote, "Oh god please don’t stuff it in the wall Kimi."

"Please dont bin it," wrote one fan, mentioning the same.

Mercedes announced Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's successor from 2025 onwards after the latter decided to move to Ferrari at the end of this season.

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Mercedes boss called for improvement and consistency

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team driver Lewis Hamilton. Source: Getty

Toto Wolff has touched upon the need for improvement and the importance of consistency following an underwhelming outing in the recent race at Austin. Apart from George Russell's P6 finish, the Silver Arrows did not have anything to show in the United States.

"After a difficult weekend in Austin, we have the opportunity to bounce back immediately in Mexico," Wolff told the media. "Our performance in Texas showed that there is inherent performance in the car. Our challenge is extracting this consistently."

"That is not the result of one specific challenge, but the interaction of the car across both aero and mechanical factors. We have five more races to work on this before the end of the season. It is important that we do so, not only for our immediate performance but to also set ourselves up well for 2025,"

Mercedes is currently occupying P4 in the Constructors' Championship with 344 points, after the conclusion of 19 races, and four Sprints.