All eyes are on Toto Wolff who is yet to hire a driver to fill in the seat left by Lewis Hamilton. Currently, there are two drivers that Wolff would want in the seat – Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli. Neither, however, is ready to be in the car, with Antonelli waiting for his super license and Verstappen still with Red Bull.

Now, we all know how paddock talk goes and many might claim Max Verstappen might just join the team. In the past, Wolff has stated that Antonelli might have to do time in Williams before joining the Petronas AMG team. But now, according to BILD, Wolff has already closed the deal with the junior driver.

Has Mercedes made their choice in Kimi Antonelli?

While many have been waiting for Toto Wolff to make a move, has he made one? There has been a report of the Mercedes boss signing Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season. This comes in from BILD who have announced this before Wolff put out an official statement.

It is hard to believe that Wolff has gone with Kimi Antonelli. Although the Italian driver has some of the most impressive junior stats since the Dutch champion, he would take a while to adjust to the car, and would likely require practice before he can challenge the defending champion.

Right now, Mercedes already has a young driver who is very quick himself. In Canada, it’s become clear that the team is not snoozing and is making decisions to fix their problems. So when Wolff said, “We want to focus on Kimi Antonelli, young drivers are our future,” does it mean they are going the McLaren way?

Having Antonelli, nevertheless, would be great for the sport as it will mean bringing an Italian driver back on the grid after Antonio Giovinazzi left in 2021. However, Antonelli might just be Wolff’s plan B.

Toto Wolff’s Plan A : Max Verstappen

“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” Toto Wolff is, perhaps, trying to play a game where he bends the rules. While everything is hushed, Wolff has been vocal about his desire to hire Verstappen.

That would just be easy for the team to fight for championships knowing how consistent the current champion is. As of now, Verstappen is focused on his current season as he finally has challengers. Ferrari and McLaren are finally being able to provide competitive cars and Mercedes is joining them too.

After the 2026 regulations come in, there is no saying which team will be the quickest and it’s always good to have faith in an established team. If Verstappen is unhappy at Red Bull, he will at his options and Mercedes should be right up on his priority list.

With that said, who do you think will be driving at Mercedes in 2025? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.