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Wolff: Mercedes gave Hamilton short F1 contract to keep Antonelli option open
Last August, Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes, with the possibility for Antonelli to join the team in 2026. However, Hamilton utilized escape clauses to leave after one year and join Ferrari, opening up a seat for Antonelli in 2025. Antonelli, a 17-year-old talent, will debut in Formula 2 this season after previous successes in Italian F4 and Formula Regional European Championship. Toto Wolff paralleled the situation to missing out on signing Max Verstappen in 2014, highlighting the need to keep options open for young talents like Antonelli. Wolff mentioned that while the 2025 seat is not guaranteed for Antonelli, they are considering him for the future given his impressive karting and junior formula achievements. Mercedes plans to assess Antonelli through a test program in 2024 to determine his readiness for a potential F1 drive in 2025 or 2026.
