Meet 17-year-old sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli who could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

17-year-old sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be in the running to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

On Thursday morning, it was reported that Hamilton could leave Mercedes for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

At 7pm, the move was confirmed as Hamilton said it was the right time to take on a new challenge after 11 years with the Brackley-based team.

Since the news was confirmed, all the attention will be focused on who Mercedes could replace Hamilton with.

George Russell is set to be the number one driver when Hamilton departs, with the likes of Alexander Albon, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri all linked with the soon-to-be vacant seat.

However, there is a case for 17-year-old Antonelli, who is highly rated amongst the Mercedes team.

The Italian prodigy has been involved in Mercedes’ young driver programme since 2019 and has won all the junior categories.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Antonelli has been promoted from F4 to F2, where he is expected to shine.

If Antonelli does impress in F2 this season, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff could be tempted to take a huge risk on him to replace Hamilton.

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It is believed that Antonelli and his family have a close relationship with Wolff, the Austrian previously said: “We got Kimi under the wings in 2012 and he was a great kid already then.

“You could see the character [and] he was strong. We had him in the garage and there was a lot of confidence. But we've got to be careful because there's a lot of hype around him.

Wolff added: “Putting him into F2 is a big step because those cars are heavier and much more powerful.

“If we give him his time and don't expect him to be killing it in his first season, I think he can be a really great one in this sport. He's 17 - this is so young.”

F1 journalist Will Buxton wrote on social media: “Worth remembering in all this that Mercedes junior and prodigal sensation Antonelli is making his F2 debut this season.

“If he shows well enough and gets the license points, an 18-year-old rookie replacing an outgoing Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025 could be a huge story in itself.”