Toto Wolff took 'five minutes' to choose Kimi Antonelli after Lewis Hamilton departure news as he shuts down future pursuit of Max Verstappen

Toto Wolf has said that he decided on Kimi Antonelli and George Russell as Mercedes’ 2025 driver line-up just “five minutes” after Lewis Hamilton informed him that he would be leaving the team to join Ferrari next season.

The F1 world was taken by surprise when Hamilton’s switch to the Scuderia was confirmed back in February, with the seven-time world champion having activated a release option in his contract to allow for the move.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Kimi will be the real deal’ – Wolff on Antonelli’s signing, Russell’s senior role and his Hamilton relationship

Speculation then mounted over who would replace Hamilton at the Silver Arrows, which saw rumours abound that Max Verstappen could be a possible option despite the Dutchman having a contract with Red Bull through to the end of 2028.

While Wolff was open about the idea of signing Verstappen, the squad ultimately announced during the Italian Grand Prix weekend that 18-year-old Antonelli would partner Russell next year.

MONZA, ITALY - AUGUST 30: Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Toto — Wolff says that he knew from a very early stage that he wanted Antonelli to partner Russell at Mercedes in 2025

With the youngster having been strongly linked to the seat over recent months, Wolff was asked about the timeline of making his decision – to which he revealed that he had set upon the idea very quickly after Hamilton’s departure was confirmed.

“I made up my mind five minutes after Lewis Hamilton told me that he’s going to Ferrari,” said Wolff.

ANALYSIS: Why Mercedes chose to take a risk and sign 18-year-old Antonelli for 2025

“Obviously we were discussing other options and looking at the Max idea – we didn’t discount it completely with looking at what happened at Red Bull.

“But instinctively that is the line-up with these two [Russell and Antonelli] that I always wanted, bearing in mind the fast-tracking that we did with Kimi and everything related there too, but that was immediately what I wanted to do.”

MONZA, ITALY - AUGUST 31: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in — Verstappen had been linked to a switch to Mercedes despite holding a contract with Red Bull through to the end of 2028

As such, Wolff was also quizzed on whether he had now given up on the possibility of Verstappen joining Mercedes in the future, leading him to reiterate that the team are focused on Antonelli and Russell.

“What I appreciated in dealing with them [Verstappen’s team], it’s just very straightforward,” Wolff explained. “I don’t flirt outside.

WATCH: Wolff praises young talent Antonelli as the 'long-term future' of Mercedes

“I’ve always said it, I got maybe caught out by the whole situation, but I’ve not entertained any discussions with any drivers when giving it all from the team to make it a success.

“This is why all of our focus in the team is on George and Kimi, and that’s what I also said. There’s no discussion, there’s no second thoughts about what are doing in 2026, because now it’s about 2024 and 2025.”