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F1 fans reacted to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitting that Lewis Hamilton did not receive a long-term contract since the team wanted to retain junior driver Kimi Antonelli.
Speaking to Austrian media outlet ORF, Wolff recalled how Mercedes lost Max Verstappen to Red Bull in 2014 when they had long-term contracts with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
“There was a situation many years ago where we had the opportunity to let Max drive,” Wolff said. “And that wasn't possible back then because we simply didn't have a cockpit. [Nico] Rosberg and Hamilton were tied to us long-term, and Red Bull naturally seized the opportunity. They gave him a contract with Toro Rosso, with the possibility of driving for Red Bull the following year."
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Since he lost a strong young talent like Verstappen in the past, Wolff claimed he wanted to secure the option to hire Kimi Antonelli in the future.
“We then lost the young driver, and you can see how successful he has become. And precisely because we have a junior on the horizon who is really driving at a very high level, I simply wanted to keep this option open," he added.
Hamilton was given a two-year contract from Mercedes in August. Since the contract had an exit clause after 2024, the seven-time world champion decided to leave the Silver Arrows and join Ferrari in 2025.
Many F1 fans were surprised to hear Toto Wolff's statements. One of the fans wrote that Mercedes did not rate Lewis Hamilton highly. Some people also discussed how the team was focusing more on their own future.
Here are some of the reactions:
"Crazy how Mercedes don't even rate Lewis that highly. They know he's falling off so didn't give him what they wanted despite the enormous commercial value he brings," one fan wrote.
One fan connected this story with a recent rumor about how Toto Wolff leaked Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari.
"Thats why Toto himself “leaked” Lewis’ move to Ferrari," another fan wrote.
In conclusion, many F1 enthusiasts were surprised to see Mercedes not offering Lewis Hamilton a long-term contract to keep Kimi Antonelli as an option for the future.
Lewis Hamilton's potential replacement to test the Mercedes W13 during the 2024 F1 season: Reports
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli has been chosen for a test during the 2024 F1 season. He will be driving the Mercedes W13 car from 2022. The publication further stated that he will be involved in an 'intensive F1 program' while debuting in F2.
Kimi Antonelli joined the team's junior program in 2019. In the past, he has won many karting series and was directly promoted to F2, entirely skipping F3. He will be starting his F2 career with Prema Racing in 2024.
After Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari was announced, many speculated that Kimi Antonelli could be one of the drivers to replace the seven-time world champion. As of now, however, the Brackley-based team has not chosen a driver for 2025.
