Toto Wolff has dis🎃cussed Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s chances of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

Hamilton’s switch to Feඣrrari in 2025 means 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 ཧfuture.

“✅We got that curve💃ball thrown at us, with Lewis, in the beginning of February,” Wolff said as he considered which driver to replace him with.

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

“It’s clear Kimi has been 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.

“But I also want to tak𒁃e a little bit of pressure off him 𝕴- he’s 17.

“He’s won ever𝓰ything he needed to win in his rookie season, but I think he is going to be a Formula 1🍬 driver.

“He’s going to be a very, very successful driver in Formula 1 but he hasn’t starte🎐d his Formula 2 campaꦍign yet.

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

Wolff insist🐷ed that he will not be rushed into making a call.

“I want to wait out the first few [F2] races that are actually g🌌oing to go wit⛎h Formula 1,” he said.

“There are many very good pilots in Formula 1 available for next y💃ear.

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

The prodigious 🃏Antonelli was first spotted by James Vowles, previously of Mercedes, and🍨 now Williams’ team principal.

That link has sparked rumours that Antonelli could ear﷽n his first F1 call-up with Williams, before later graduating to Mercedes, taking the same pathway as George Russell.

Vo💯💙wles was questioned about taking Antonelli next year.

“I have no do🌟ubt 🌜that Kimi will be in F1,” he responded.

“He’s done inc♊redibly well in his junior series. But that doesn't mean he will be in ⛄Williams, necessarily.

“I believe in investing in youth. But I'll take people on merit i✨nto the organisation.

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

“We're starting to build a progಌramme that is a sensible programme to develop THE next generatio🔥n of drivers.

“In the case of Toto, he's in the posi෴tion that you would hope.

“He's one of, if not t⛄he best, team on the grid, with a range of opt🎐ions available to him.

“From my perspecꦓtive, 🐷it's more about looking what happens going forward.

“I have Alex Albon here next year under contract and I have Logan Sargeant obvi♐ously under contract as well, along with juniors.

“It's jusꦬt a question of seeing how everything plays out across the next six months."

But Vowles did e✃mphasise the potential brilliance 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 or aver꧙age,” he explained.

“But, with him, yo💛u could see early on in the F4 days that he was developing e💧xceptionally well.”