Head of Mercedes, Toto Wolff speculates possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton

However, the German team can be “bold” with their new signing to replace Lewis Hamilton. – He has the potential to be the next leading driver, as he is a very fast, talented, and intelligent guy in the car – stated Toto about Russell. We have a very solid base, a very fast, talented, and intelligent guy (Russell) in a car, we just need to make the right choice for the second driver, the second seat – he added. Regarding the possible bold move, one would be to accelerate the career of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who won the Italian and German F4 titles in the same year before securing the Formula Regional European Championship title last season.

In 2024, he will compete in FIA F2 with Prema Racing. As for Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari, Toto Wolff admits he was caught by surprise but had experienced a similar situation years before. – If you had told me two days ago that Lewis was going to Ferrari, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible. So, situations and things can change rapidly – Wolff remarked about Lewis and continued:

Toto Wolff has been the head of Mercedes since 2013 (Photo: JOSE JORDAN / AFP).

– In the same way we embraced the situation with Nico Rosberg, which was equally unexpected overnight, I am really looking forward to making the right decisions for the team together with my colleagues and whoever will be in the seat next year – Toto concluded. The shift in Hamilton seems to have dampened the prospect of going after Leclerc and Norris, even without naming the two. Toto stated that with this pair not available in the market, the options become much fewer. Nevertheless, the boss does not rule out the possibility of making bold moves.