Toto Wolff admits that, in terms of a teammate for George Russell in 2025, his first priority is Kimi Antonelli.

When Lewis Hamilton shocked the world in February by announcing his decision to join Ferrari in 2025, the other big story was who would replace the seven-time world champion at Mercedes.

Hard to believe, but at that time there wasn't a huge amount of interest as far as drivers were concerned for the German team has been 'off the boil' for the last couple of seasons.

However, as the Silver Arrows began to turn things around, various drivers were linked with the second seat, the Horner saga at Red Bull even putting Max Verstappen in the frame.

Through it all however there was Kimi Antonelli, however other than Wolff's desire not to rush him into F1, the Italian youngster wasn't exactly setting the world alight with his F2 exploits.

This month, much like Mercedes, Antonelli has turned his fortunes around and is therefore back in the frame at Brackley.

"I have always seen the departure of a driver as a new opportunity for the team," Wolff tells Autosportwereld. "Change is good, you have to embrace it.

"When Lewis shared the news of his departure, I initially thought: 'Why not and not halfway through the season?' But he found the decision necessary not only for his own progress, but also for that of the team.

"We are not rushing," insists Wolff, "we want to wait to make the right decision.

"The criteria for our next driver are simple," the Austrian continues, "we want the best driver available. At the moment, my first option is Kimi Antonelli.

"Of course there are risks," he admits. "They are not so much in his talent as a driver, but Antonelli would be exposed to the media and to the skills of George Russell, one of the best drivers on the grid.

"But Kimi has enormous potential. His speed and talent are already at a certain level, he just lacks the experience.

"An alternative scenario is of course Verstappen," he adds, "but at the moment that doesn't seem realistic to me. Other drivers would sign a one or two-year contract, which is not enough for us. So I'm happy to take a risk with Antonelli, because it's a calculated risk.

"If you look at the progress of Piastri, it took him a year and a half to compete for victory at the level of team-mate Lando Norris. We want to try to do the same with Kimi. In 2025, with the changes in 2026, we'll be in transition anyway. So it's a good season to form him into our team.

"However, I will continue to observe the market," he admits. "I am not sure how things will evolve further at Red Bull."

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