Toto Wolff: “I didn’t want to lose Kimi Antonelli like I did with Max Verstappen”. Toto Wolff revealed that, not wanting to lose Kimi Antonelli, he felt relieved by Hamilton’s decision to leave the team.

From Lewis Hamilton to Kimi Antonelli
2025 has arrived, and many Formula 1 fans still find it hard to believe that Lewis Hamilton will soon be seen wearing Ferrari’s red race suit. The feeling is just as surreal for Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal, who worked closely with the Briton from 2013 until last season, celebrating six Drivers’ World Championships with the #44. With the multi-time world champion now at Maranello, a new chapter begins for the very young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will bring the Italian Tricolor back to Formula 1.

The regret over Max Verstappen
For Wolff’s protégé, this marks the culmination of years of development within Mercedes’ Junior Team, with a Formula 1 debut that dispels any fears of losing another promising talent. While Kimi Antonelli is now secured under Brackley’s banner, the same was not true in past years with Max Verstappen, when Toto Wolff missed the opportunity to sign the Dutchman.

Current relief
Toto Wolff addressed this in the *Armchair Experts with Dax Shepard* podcast, expressing relief that he isn’t reliving the nightmare of losing Kimi Antonelli, as he did with the four-time reigning world champion:
“It’s been a tough blow to swallow, and it still feels strange that Lewis will wear Ferrari’s suit and drive their red car,” he said. “It’s a bit surreal, but we had a 17-year-old (Antonelli) in the pipeline. I didn’t want to lose him like I did with Verstappen back then, when I didn’t have a car for him, so everything is falling into place. I can understand his perspective (Hamilton’s). We weren’t successful. Our car wasn’t fast enough, and he certainly had a mega offer on the table. Every Formula 1 driver dreams of driving a Ferrari.”

This statement reflects Toto Wolff’s relief that Hamilton left Mercedes of his own accord:
“Absolutely, I couldn’t make the decision from a personal standpoint—we owe him a lot. I didn’t want to make the call, as Mercedes, to let the greatest champion ever go. Maybe he felt the same, in part, and knew Antonelli was in the works. It was something I had almost expected would happen.”