{"id":739751,"date":"2026-06-16T04:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T04:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/739751\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T04:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T04:32:17","slug":"george-russell-must-now-regret-what-he-told-toto-wolff-about-replacing-lewis-hamilton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/739751\/","title":{"rendered":"George Russell must now regret what he told Toto Wolff about replacing Lewis Hamilton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/ Follow us on Google Discover <\/a> <\/p>\n

George Russell has revealed that he played a role in Kimi Antonelli succeeding Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025.<\/p>\n

Hamilton<\/a> informed Mercedes in the post-2023 winter break that he would be joining Ferrari, exercising a break clause in his contract. <\/p>\n

He was committed for 2024, so Mercedes<\/a> had more time than usual to consider their options, but the loss of their greatest-ever driver was still a seismic curveball.<\/p>\n

If you were Toto Wolff, would you sign Max Verstappen to replace George Russell? <\/p>\n

Explain your choice in the comments<\/p>\n

\"RedPhoto by Rudy Carezzevoli\/Getty Images George Russell thought Kimi Antonelli was the \u2018perfect\u2019 Lewis Hamilton successor<\/p>\n

In an interview with Sky Sports F1<\/a> during the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, Russell revealed that Toto Wolff presented him with a \u2018shortlist\u2019 of options to replace Hamilton.<\/p>\n

Like Wolff, Russell<\/a> says he viewed academy driver Antonelli, who was competing in Formula 2 during the 2024 season, as the \u2018perfect\u2019 choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cToto was very open with me in the coming months and was asking my opinion a lot on who he felt my teammate should be,\u201d Russell reflected. \u201cHe gave me a shortlist of drivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, it was like \u2018Kimi will be the best fit\u2019. Kimi felt like the perfect choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you were George Russell, which driver would you have recommended as Lewis Hamilton\u2019s replacement? <\/p>\n

\"KimiPhoto by Jakub Porzycki\/NurPhoto <\/p>\n

Russell dispatched Antonelli<\/a> handily in their first year as teammates, outscoring him 319-150 in the drivers\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n

However, the 19-year-old has taken a phenomenal leap in his second season, recently winning five races on the bounce before his retirement at the Barcelona GP. <\/p>\n

Russell, who still trails his teammate by 50 points, insists he saw it coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew he was going to be great because he\u2019s an amazing driver and I saw that on many occasions last year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started the season, it was obviously very close between the two of us in the first two races. He\u2019s obviously done an exceptional job in the last couple of races.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mercedes were also linked with Carlos Sainz<\/a>, the victim of Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari move. Sainz is a multiple Grand Prix winner but also a known quantity at this stage, so perhaps Russell should have recommended him instead.<\/p>\n

The Briton may have felt he could become the team leader alongside a rookie, but if he had that status last year, the dynamic has changed. Antonelli looks like a generational talent<\/a>, just as Mercedes insiders predicted.<\/p>\n

Join Our Newsletter<\/p>\n

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