Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari and the arrival of rising star Kimi Antonelli in his place provides an opportunity for Mercedes to “reinvent ourselves” during the 2025 season.
Hamilton recently started work at Ferrari – spanning factory tours, meetings, simulator work and test runs – after ending a highly successful 12-year relationship with Mercedes over the winter.
It means incumbent George Russell, 26, is now Mercedes’ most experienced driver, with 18-year-old protégé Antonelli – an F4 and Formula Regional champion, and F2 race winner – slotting in alongside him.
Speaking in the build-up to the new campaign, Mercedes boss Wolff described the situation as a “refresh” for Hamilton and his team.
Hamilton and Wolff enjoyed plenty of success together at Mercedes
“I think it was right for both of us,” Wolff told Sky Sports. “I think when you see Lewis in his first appearances in Ferrari… I mean, this picture in front of Enzo Ferrari’s house is iconic. Lewis with his sense of style… and I’ve told him.
“At the same time, us embarking on a different route, trying to reinvent ourselves with a young driver, in addition to George – he’s not mentioned enough. We have a senior, accomplished driver that won races, and this new kid coming up.
“Lewis doing something on his own, something new, I think it was a refresh for both of us.”
Wolff also took a moment to discuss Mercedes’ prospects this year, with the squad experiencing another up-and-down 2024 season that featured the highs of four Grand Prix wins but the lows of more confusing weekends trying to unlock performance from their package.
All teams will face the added challenge of balancing simultaneous car developments through 2025, which marks the final year of the current ruleset before all-new technical regulations – featuring redesigned power units and active aerodynamics – are introduced in 2026.
Wolff sees Antonelli’s arrival alongside Russell as a “refresh” for Mercedes
“They are so mature, the regulations, so there’s only so much you can gain,” Wolff stressed. “I think we’ve recognised where our car was weak, in certain areas of cornering, but having said that, no one has really got on top of how to establish a basis that the car is fast at all the tracks.
“We’ve had astonishing performances in Las Vegas, we’ve almost crushed everyone from the first lap we went out until the end of the race, we were really good at Silverstone and good at Spa, and then not as good at other races.
“I think this year could be the same again that three, four, five teams are really close to each other, fighting, which is good news for the sport. At the same time, balancing development for next year – it’s going to be quite interesting how the priorities are set.”
Mercedes will reveal their 2025 challenger to the world on February 24, a few days after unveiling the car’s livery during the inaugural F1 season launch event at London’s The O2.
RACE TICKETS – AUSTRALIA
Don’t miss your chance to be at the first Grand Prix of 2025 and experience the season-opener in Melbourne…