Mercedes has announced that Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace the Ferrari-bound next season.
The 18-year-old Antonelli, a graduate of the teamâs junior program, will partner with George Russell at Mercedes following the departure of seven-time champion Hamilton.
âKimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport,â said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in a statement. âWe know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process.
âIn George, he has an experienced teammate from which he can learn and hone his craft. I am confident that both will contribute greatly as we continue to build momentum and fight at the front of the field.â
Antonelli joined Mercedesâs junior program in 2019 and has been competing in Formula 2 this year, becoming the youngest winner of multiple races in the seriesâ history after victories at Silverstone and Budapest.
He made his practice debut for the Silver Arrows at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Friday but endured a challenging start after crashing into the wall on turn 11.
The car was badly damaged yet Antonelli walked away unscathed, with Wolff saying the incident would have âzero effectâ on the young driverâs future.
âHeâs a rookie, heâs very young, we are prepared to invest into his future and these moments will happen and they will continue to happen next year, but there will also be a lot of highlights,â Wolff added, according to Reuters.
Running in place of Russell, Antonelli had briefly set the fastest lap of the session prior to the crash. He returned to the track later in the day to qualify sixth in F2.
Itâs expected that Antonelli, who only turned 18 on Sunday, will take part in another practice session in Mexico later this year.
âReaching F1 is a dream Iâve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support theyâve given me in my career so far and the faith theyâve shown in me,â he said in Mercedesâs announcement.
âI am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team.â
His 26-year-old future teammate Russell, who also came through Mercedesâs junior ranks, has claimed two race wins with Mercedes, most recently at the Austrian Grand Prix in June.
âWe are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership,â said Wolff. âOur new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent.â
Mercedes has enjoyed huge success during Hamiltonâs time with the team, earning eight consecutive constructorsâ championships before being surpassed by Red Bull in the past two seasons.
Hamilton won six of his record-equaling seven F1 titles with the Silver Arrows but is now set to team up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025.