“He’s a young lion”: Toto Wolff hypes Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes F1 team

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has praised the newest addition to the F1 team, Kimi Antonelli. Wolff's comments came with his excitement for the upcoming season, talking about the strong effort George Russell has put in with the team so far, as well as acknowledging the sucess the championship-winning team had with its former driver, Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli takes Hamilton's place on the team after it was announced in early 2024 that the 40-year-old would be making the move to Ferrari.

The news of Antonelli's joining the Mercedes team came in September of last year, after the 18-year-old made his free practice debut at the Italian Grand Prix. Speaking about the upcoming season, as well as looking back on the time with Hamilton, Toto Wolff talked at the Autosport Awards ceremony earlier this week.

“I think we are super excited by the new situation. We’ve had [a] fantastic 12 years with Lewis; George has shown superb performances in the last few years.

“Now with Kimi coming up, a young lion with a lot of talent and now he needs to learn,” he said [via Motorsport Week].

Wolff also emphasized on the young driver being comfortable with the team, and has already prepared for the upcoming season.

“He’s been in the team, integrated for such a long time. We’ve known him since he was 11, and in that respect, he’s been prepared, he’s ready to go and he can’t wait,” he said [via PlanetF1].

Antonelli also talked about the opportunity he's been given - when it was announced in September last year that he would be stepping into the team in Hamilton's place.

"Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team," he said [via F1].

Kimi Antonelli will make his Formula 1 debut with Mercedes in the first race of the season in Melbourne, Australia once the season begins in March.

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Mercedes 2025 car launch dates revealed

The Brackley-based team's 2025 challenger has recieved a release date. The livery for the Mercedes-AMG F1 W16 E Performance will be shown for the first time at the F1 75 event, taking place at the O2 Arena in London on February 18.

The team will reveal a complete look of its 2025 vehicle the following week, on February 24.

The Mercedes W16 will most likely make it's on-track debut at the pre-season testing session in Bahrain at the end of February.