Mercedes has reportedly decided who will replace Lewis Hamilton for the next season, with an official announcement expected during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
According to the Italian publication Autosprint, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to be confirmed as George Russell’s teammate for the 2025 season at Monza.
Antonelli, an Italian driver, moved up to F2 this season, bypassing FIA F3 entirely, and already has the necessary FIA super licence points to compete in F1.
As a Mercedes junior, the 17-year-old has undergone an extensive testing program this season, driving previous years’ cars at tracks like Imola, the Red Bull Ring, and Spa-Francorchamps to complement his time in the F1 support paddock.
Driving for Prema Racing, Antonelli has gradually made his mark in F2, securing an impressive wet-weather victory in the Silverstone sprint and delivering a strong performance at the Hungaroring, where he dominated the feature race.
During the Budapest weekend, Antonelli expressed doubts about whether he was ready for F1 when speaking to the media, including RacingNews365.
However, despite Toto Wolff’s faint hopes of securing Max Verstappen for 2025, the decision to bring Antonelli on board has been anticipated for some time.
After the Spanish Grand Prix, Wolff told the media, including RacingNews365, that he would delay the decision as long as possible, saying, “who knows what happens?”
While Wolff remains hopeful of signing Verstappen in the future, potentially as soon as 2026, it appears that for now, Mercedes will feature Antonelli alongside Russell.
