Toto Wolff has discussed Andrea Kimi Antonelli’𒅌s chances of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari in 2025 mea💟ns Wolff is 🐈faced with the monumental decision of how to replace a seven-time Formula 1 champion.

Options span two-time F1 champ🥀 Fernando Alonso down to Antonelli, the 17-year-old on Mercedes’ books who is tipped for a bright future.

“We got that curveball thrown at us, with Lewis, in the beginning of February,” Wolff said as he considered which driver to repla🏅ce him with.

“And I want to do the opposite when choosing the driver✅ for next year.

“It’s clear Kimi has bee🌸n in our junior category since he was 11. We have had great pleasure in watching him grow as a young man, and growing through the ranks.

“B🉐ut ꦕI also want to take a little bit of pressure off him - he’s 17.

“He’s won everything he needed to win in his rookie season, but I thi🐭nk he is goinꦡg to be a Formula 1 driver.

“He’s gꦚoing to be a very, very successf🎐ul driver in Formula 1 but he hasn’t started his Formula 2 campaign yet.

“They had a difficult test in🦩 the first days in Bahrain. We’ll see how this develops.”

Wolff insisted that he will not be rushed into m🥂aking a call.

“I want to wait out t꧙he first few [F2] races that are actually going to go with Formula 1,” he said.

“There are many very good pilotౠs in Formula𝓀 1 available for next year.

“This is all going to come into the equation when deciding on the driver line-up for next year. But that’s not going t🅘o happen anytime 🐓soon.”

The prodigious Antonelli was f♒irst spotted by Jam🦩es Vowles, previously of Mercedes, and now Williams’ team principal.

That link has sparked rumours that Antonelli couldཧ earn his first F1 call-up with Williams, before later graduating to Mercedes, taking the same pathway as George Ru🉐ssell.

Vowles was questioned about taking Antonelli nex🙈t ye❀ar.

“I hav🌄e no doubt that Kimi will be in F1,” he responded.

“He’s done incredibly well in his junior series. But that doesn't mean ꧅he will be in Williams, nec🌠essarily.

“I believe in investing in youth. But I'll take peopl𒆙e on merit into the organisation.

“I'm fortunate enough to have two🃏 juniors myself, in F2 and in F3.

“We're starting to build a programme ꦓthat is a sensible programme to develop TH🍌E next generation of drivers.

“In the case of Toto, h𝓡e's🍌 in the position that you would hope.

🍒“He's one of, if not the best, team on🌠 the grid, with a range of options available to him.

“Fro🃏m my perspective, it's more about looking what happens going forward.

“I have Alex Albon here next year under contract and I have Logan Sargeant obviously under contract as well, along with j♈uniors.

“It's just a question of seeing how everythi🅠ng plays out across the next six months."

But Vowles did emphasise the potential bri𝔉lliance of Antonelli.

“When you're looking after a junior who is 11, you have no idea that they are going to be incredible, or perhaps good, great orജ average,” he explained.

“But, with him, you could see early on in the F4 days that he wa🍎s developing exceptionally well.”