Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari for next year means Mercedes are looking for a new teammate for George Russell.
The team can take two different paths: seek out the most experienced driver possible to help push them forward, or throw everything behind their junior rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli to bring him up to speed.
On the experienced side, the German manufacturer has already been linked to Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel – but is well aware that its hopes of convincing them to join will depend on improving its current performance levels.
While his struggles might push him more toward opting for Antonelli, as it would give the youngster some time to lay down without pressure to pick up wins early on, Wolff isn’t so convinced the decision is as obvious as that. .
“You can look at things from different angles,” he said, when asked about the driver’s decision.
“I believe we are in a reconstruction phase. You must recognize that, three years after the adoption of these regulations, we must do things differently than we have done in the past, without throwing overboard what we consider to be the goodness of the way we operate.
“That could mean putting a young driver in there and giving him an opportunity with less pressure than immediately fighting for wins, or putting a more experienced driver in the car who can help us break out of the current performance table. “
With Antonelli already part of its junior team, Mercedes doesn’t need to rush its decision on what to do with the Italian – so it can sit back and wait and see how the future of other options pans out, like Verstappen.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Interestingly, Mercedes has increased the number of days Antonelli will take part in private testing this year in order to become more familiar with the F1 machines. He is set to make his first race at the Red Bull Ring in a 2021 W12 the week before the Chinese Grand Prix, with the team eager to see how he performs.
Speaking about the plans for Antonelli, Wolff said: “Kimi’s program behind the wheel of Formula 1 has been in place for a long time and has not changed hugely in recent weeks.
“What we have done is added extra days, but what you will see in the next few months is in place whether or not he gets into a Formula 1 car next year.”
“We’re going to do a few days to get him comfortable in an F1 car. He is driving the 2021 car in Austria for the first time. We want to give him an idea of what a really good car looks like before we put him in the ’22!
“Obviously he’s been our young boy for a long time and we can’t wait to see what he can do in a Formula 1 car.
“[Ferrari reserve] Ollie Bearman was refreshing to see how competitive he was in Saudi Arabia. No free practice, high speed, complicated track, and he was up there. So Kimi would do just fine.
MORE: How Bearman’s F1 debut will help Mercedes in its Hamilton replacement call
