Formula 1 2026 will see one of the biggest driver transfers in recent history as Lewis Hamilton will move to Maranello for Ferrari. The 39-year-old has signed a $100 million deal with the Prancing Horse to leave Mercedes after a 15-year-long allegiance. Naturally, whoever replaces Lewis at the Stuttgart-based outfit will have giant shoes to fill. While it has been revealed that Toto Wolff might keep his options for Max Verstappen, every other F1 pundit claims Kimi Antonelli will sign the Mercedes deal.

Currently contracted to Prema Racing, Kimi Antonelli has been a Mercedes junior since 2019. But the Bologna native has not yet appeared at a Formula 1 test. If he is to replace Lewis Hamilton, he will need to get some mileage in the king class of motorsports, and according to an F1 insider, Toto Wolff has hatched a plan for that.

Toto Wolff might strong-arm Williams to give Kimi Antonelli a chance

On the famous Missed Apex podcast with Richard “Spanners” Ready, F1 insider Joe Seward talked about Antonelli’s test. He speculated, “What happens when Mercedes says, “We’ll give you a bit of a deal on that? We want our boy to have some mileage; you want him as well.” So, it won’t be a lot of money because they both want the same thing.”

Mercedes has been a long-time engine supplier for Williams. Seward has implied that Toto Wolff will cut a deal with Williams to supply the team with engines at a slashed-down price. And in return, the Silver Arrows boss will ask the British team to allow Kimi Antonelli to take an F1 test.

But even though several news outlets have already said Kimi Antonelli is set to go to Mercedes, there is some noise about Toto Wolff waiting for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman signed on to stay with Red Bull until 2028, but with Adrian Newey leaving the team, things have changed. This can cause him to activate an exit clause and leave for the Stuttgart outfit to replace Lewis Hamilton.

A former F1 racer claims Max Verstappen should ward off a Mercedes transfer

Mercedes is one of the richest and most successful F1 teams on the current grid. With their endless resources, they have managed to win eight consecutive World Championship titles in the past. But the current situation has not been kind to the team. The Stuttgart-based outfit has been usurped from its top position on the charts as Red Bull is the reigning champion now. At a time like this, Mercedes could not even impress the onlookers with their 2024 car, the W15. According to former racer Juan Pablo Montoya, the W15 lacks what the Red Bull RB20 has, even though the Mercedes engine is good.

Thus, Juan Pablo Montoya wants Max Verstappen to skip going for Mercedes at this point. This leaves the Silver Arrows to pick Kimi Antonelli to become George Russell’s teammate. However, the options happen to be endless, as Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen have not signed a deal with any team for 2025 yet. And then, there is also Michael Schumacher’s son Mick waiting on the sidelines as a reserve driver under Mercedes.

With so many seasoned F1 recruits to choose from, Mercedes might not pick Kimi Antonelli, as he is a complete rookie. Do you think Toto Wolff will hire the Italian, and if he does, would it be wise to replace a seven-time World Champion with a newbie instead of someone like Carlos Sainz, who has already won three Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments below.