Toto Wolff says he wanted to avoid missing out on Mercedes protege 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Andrea Kimi Antonelli like he did with 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen.

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lewis Hamilton’s shock decision to leave Mercedes after 12 seasons in order to join Ferrari from 2025 left the Silver Arrows scrambling for a replacement to partner 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell.

Wolff publicly courted Verstappen amid turmoil at Red Bull last year but when it was clear he would not be able to poach the Dutchman, Mercedes instead opted to promote teenage protege Antone💧lli after just a single season in Formula 2.

Speaking on the , Wolff explained how he wanted to avoid Antonelli potential🐬ly looking elsewhere 💛if Mercedes did not offer him a full-time seat.

Wolff was previously burned when Mercedes tried unsuccessfully to sign Verstappen while he was in Formula 3. Verstappen instead joined Red Bull and was swiftly p🗹laced into a race seat with Toro Rosso for 2015, before being promoted to the se𝔍nior team four races into the following season.

Hamilton’s exit ultimately pave🅰d the way for 🐈Antonelli to get a Mercedes drive earlier than originally planned.

"It was a curve ball ꦰthrown at us, and it still feels weird that he's gonna wear Ferrari overalls and drive the red car," Wolff said of Hamilton’s departure from 🔥Mercedes.

"It's just a bit surreal. But we had this 17-year-old in the pipeline [Kimi Antonelli]. I didn't want to miss out on him, like I did with Max [Verstappen] back in the day, [when] I didn't have a🅘 car [for him], so that is all falling into place.

"And I can kind of get where he's coming from, because we weren't successful. Our car was not quick enough, certainly he had a mega offer on 𓆏the table, [and] every Formula 1 driver wants to drive a Ferrari.”

Wolff ‘couldn’t make decision’ to ditch Hamilton

Hamilton, who signed a new two-year꧒ deal with Mercedes in the summer of 2023, chose to active a break clausܫe in his contract in order to make the switch to Ferrari.

By taking his future into his own hands, the seven-🦄time world champion spared Mercedes from having to make a potentially difficult call at the end of 2025꧟.

Wolff admitted he was “absolutely”🦩 relieved tha🧸t he did not have to face the dilemma of deciding when Hamilton exited Mercedes.

"I couldn't maꦿke the decision from a personal standpoint - we owe him so much,” the Austrian said.

"And I didn't wꦍant to ౠdo the decision, as Mercedes, letting the greatest champion ever go.

"Maybe he felt that also, that's part of it, and he knew that Antonelli was in the 🃏pipeline. It was something that I almost had in the back of my mind, that that would happen."