"This guy is the new Ayrton Senna": Fans react to Lewis Hamilton's potential replacement reportedly being 'whole seconds quicker' than F2 field

F1 fans were quick to praise Lewis Hamilton's potential replacement Italian youngster Kimi Antonelli and proclaimed him as the next 'Ayrton Senna'.

The seven-time world champion shocked the motorsport world when he announced that he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season to join rivals Ferrari.

The news caught everyone off guard as the British driver had signed a contract extension in August of 2023, which meant he would represent the German team until the end of 2025.

Since the news of Hamilton's departure broke, there have been a number of drivers being viewed as his potential replacement. One such driver is the 17-year-old Mercedes Academy driver Kimi Antonelli, who will be racing in the F2 this season.

As reported by Motorsport Magazine, the young Italian blasted his fellow F2 drivers while testing in the F3 cars in the wet conditions. It is reported that he was 'whole seconds' faster than the rest of the grid.

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to the news. One fan on X hailed him as the next Ayrton Senna, writing:

"This guy is the new Aryton Senna. Future F1 champion mark my words..."

Here are some more reactions to Antonelli being Lewis Hamilton's replacement:

Some fans pointed out that the switch to F1 might be too soon for Antonelli:

F1 pundit pins Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes

F1 pundit Mark Hughes stated that Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement won't be as 'astonishing' if he wins the F2 title this year. In his column for the aforementioned source, Hughes wrote:

"It sounds ridiculous from the perspective of now to think he could be slotted straight into the Mercedes works team as Hamilton’s replacement. Russell himself would be forgiven if he raised an eyebrow at the idea, given that he still feels his three-year apprenticeship at Williams under Mercedes control was two years too long."

Hughes continued:

"The consensus throughout the F1 community is that it would be too early for Antonelli. But it would feel slightly less ridiculous if we were talking about Antonelli as the F2 champion who had just blitzed the field in his rookie year there. Everything about his career to date suggests he is fully capable of doing that."

Toto Wolff had earlier mentioned that he might go for someone bold as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton in the 2025 season. So there is a possibility that the young Italian might be racing at the pinnacle of motorsport next year.