Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has laid out a plan for the 2025 season, the team’s first year without Lewis Hamilton since his joining in 2013. Being one of the five teams on the F1 grid that sport a rookie driver next year, Mercedes seems to have a clear plan with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Wolff revealed that he made the decision to sign Kimi Antonelli for 2025 just five minutes after learning about the seven-time world champion’s move to Ferrari. However, the official announcement wasn’t made until the Italian Grand Prix.
While Kimi Antonelli displayed exceptional speed at Monza, he also suffered a heavy crash in his FP1 run. Given his debut season in F1 next year, Wolff hinted that he is prepared for surprises. Russell, meanwhile, has been declared as the lead driver of Mercedes and will steer the team in the championship battle next season if it remains one of the favorites.
Wolff emphasized that 2025 will be about “managing expectations” for Kimi Antonelli and preparing a base for the team’s 2026 driver lineup when Formula 1 enters a new era of regulations. Thus, its strategy next year will be entirely different from what it has adopted in all these years with Hamilton. While Wolff remains hopeful about competing among the top teams next season, he acknowledged that maintaining a competitive position will require a determined effort. He said:
“Obviously, 2025 is the same regulations and you can see that the pecking order varies depending on the track.
