Toto Wolff reveals Max Verstappen regret triggered Kimi Antonelli decision after Lewis Hamilton bombshell

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that the regret of losing Max Verstappen in 2015 triggered the Kimi Antonelli call after Lewis Hamilton's bombshell decision. The Austrian has admitted afterward that he was caught by surprise at Hamilton's call early in January when he announced that he was moving to Ferrari.

As soon as that move was made, it left Toto Wolff and Mercedes in a vulnerable position as a replacement had to be found. By that time, the other highly rated talents like Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris had already been announced on long-term contracts by their respective teams and weren't in contention.

It was during this time that Toto Wolff decided to give Kimi Antonelli the opportunity and fast-track him straight to F1 after a somewhat decent season in F2. Looking back, when questioned if losing out on Max Verstappen's services in 2015 played a role, the Austrian admitted that this was certainly something that had crossed his mind. Back in 2015, the Verstappen family was in negotiation with both Mercedes and Red Bull for a seat in Formula 1.

With Toto Wolff having a lineup of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, a seat in F1 was not on the table, and with Red Bull having a second team, the Austrian squad was able to nab Verstappen. This has always been one of the regrets for Wolff, as he has always rated Max Verstappen very highly. Appearing on the Armchair Experts with Dax Shepard podcast, Wolff admitted that this played a role as he said:

"It was a curve ball thrown at us, and it still feels weird that he's gonna wear Ferrari overalls and drive the red car. It's just a bit surreal. But we had this 17-year-old in the pipeline [Kimi Antonelli]."

He added:

"I didn't want to miss out on him, like I did with Max [Verstappen] back in the day, [when] I didn't have a car [for him], so that is all falling into place. And I can kind of get where he's coming from, because we weren't successful. Our car was not quick enough, certainly he had a mega offer on the table, [and] every Formula 1 driver wants to drive a Ferrari."

Wolff also talked about his initial dilemma about letting the seven-time world champion leave and join the Prancing Horse.

"I didn't want to do the decision, as Mercedes" - Toto Wolff on letting Lewis Hamilton leave

Lewis Hamilton with Toto Wolff at the Lusail International Circuit- Source: Getty

Toto Wolff also admitted that there was also an upside to all of this, where he would never take the call of letting Lewis Hamilton go himself. The partnership spanned for more than a decade, and Mercedes owed the driver a lot. Letting him go was always out of the question. He said:

"Absolutely. I couldn't make the decision from a personal standpoint - we owe him so much. And I didn't want to do the decision, as Mercedes, letting the greatest champion ever go."

He added:

"Maybe he felt that also, that's part of it, and he knew that Antonelli was in the pipeline. It was something that I almost had in the back of my mind, that that would happen."

With Lewis Hamilton gone to Ferrari, it would be interesting to see what kind of new partnership is formed at Mercedes as Kimi Antonelli makes his debut this season.