Toto Wolff believes Mercedes "are in the mix" in Singapore. Photo: RacePictures.

The real reason Mercedes never really feared Hamilton’s departure

17:28, 16 Oct

Updated: 17:30, 16 Oct

byTobia Elia

Toto Wolff stressed that for Mercedes, replacing someone of Lewis Hamilton’s calibre with a rookie like Kimi Antonelli was never really a risk.

“As a matter of fact, there was not so much risk because we had George”

- Toto Wolff

The reason why it wasn’t seen as a risk, according to the Austrian, is that the Brackley-based team could already rely on another top driver in George Russell, who — just like the young Italian — has recently signed a contract extension.

“I think there was so much hype around Lewis leaving and that Kimi would come in, and the risk that we were taking, but as a matter of fact, there was not so much risk because we had George,” the team principal said at the Autosport Business Exchange: New York event.

“In a way, he was always underrated in all of those years. Maybe because of his more introverted personality. Then obviously if your teammate is Lewis Hamilton, you won't get a lot of... how can I say, the reach of eyeballs. If George would have kind of bought into the fashion style of Lewis, maybe it would have given him more photos, but that's not how he is.”

George Russell celebrates his Singapore GP victory on the podium - Photo: Race Pictures

“It was always good to know that we had George as one of the best drivers and then bringing Kimi on was a long-term plan. We knew that giving him one year in the current regulations would be tough because all of these drivers have driven those ground effect cars.”

Wolff was well aware that Antonelli’s lack of experience with these cars, combined with the intense pressure from the Italian media, wouldn’t be easy for the youngster to handle.

“The tyres are very tricky to understand. Many racetracks that he hasn't been to before and then the enormous media pressure that comes when you're an Italian - this country has been starved for a world champion for 50, 60 years,” Wolff finally added.

Antonelli and Russell's new contract lenghts revealed

Both Mercedes drivers were out of contract at the end of 2025 and were among the last to be officially confirmed for another season, leaving plenty of room for speculation — including the long-running summer saga linking Max Verstappen to the Silver Arrows.

Now that both can look to the future with greater peace of mind, how many years have their respective contracts been extended by? Here’s what GPblog has found out.

GPblog’s Latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to keep up with everything happening inside the F1 paddock? GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video has you covered. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.