There has been speculation that Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes F1, has a list of potential drivers to replace Lewis Hamilton. One name that has been mentioned is the 38-year-old, who could potentially team up with George Russell. Other rumored replacements include Carlos Sainz and the highly touted young driver Kimi Antonelli. However, it is unlikely that Max Verstappen, who is desired by Wolff, will make the move in 2025. Other potential replacements include Esteban Ocon, Mick Schumacher, and even Sebastian Vettel.
One former World Champion who will not be making a comeback is Nico Rosberg. He has made it clear that he is done with the topic and has no interest in replacing Lewis at Mercedes. Rosberg quit after winning the 2016 F1 title because he did not have the desire to continue pushing himself to beat his teammate. He believes that one championship is enough and age is not a factor.
Rosberg has praised Fernando Alonso for his ability to continue performing at a high level despite his age. Alonso, who will be turning 43 soon, is considered one of the best drivers of all time and a role model for longevity in F1.
Another veteran driver, Lewis Hamilton, is also still going strong at the age of 39. Although he may not be as dominant as he once was, he is set to join Ferrari next year, adding a new chapter to his already impressive career. This move will mark the end of his successful partnership with Mercedes, which has resulted in seven world titles and 103 Grand Prix wins.
Next year, Hamilton’s highly anticipated Ferrari journey will begin, which Rosberg, like everyone in F1, is excited about: “He can continue to perform at a high level until his mid-40s without any issues.
“Half a year ago, Lewis was arguably the top driver in the current starting field, along with Max Verstappen. The beginning of this season has been a bit more challenging for him,” stated the German based in Monaco.
In regards to the void that Mercedes needs to fill alongside Russell, Rosberg is cautiously intrigued by the potential of Kimi Antonelli: “Antonelli is definitely a future superstar, but unfortunately, it’s too soon for him. And it’s also too soon for Toto to select him.”
There is much talk about 17-year-old Antonelli since he has become the talk of the town in the F1 paddock. The Italian karting prodigy who excelled in karting and F4 skipped F3 and went straight to F2, where many of today’s big names on the grid won the feeder title in their first attempt. Currently, Antonelli is in 9th place in the 2024 F2 standings after three out of 14 Rounds.
Rosberg is cautious about promoting Antonelli directly to the Mercedes team without a season or two at Williams, where they would gladly take the young driver and the financial benefits that would come with it for the Mercedes customer team.
The 2016 F1 World Champion doubts that Antonelli is ready for F1 with a big team like Mercedes: “That’s asking a lot because he hasn’t proven anything in F2 yet. That’s the minimum requirement to perform well in F2 in order to be considered for F1. Therefore, Toto needs to be patient and wait until summer or autumn to make a decision.”
With Fernando Alonso signed with Aston Martin until at least the end of 2026 and Nico Hulkenberg confirmed with Sauber/Audi for 2025 and beyond, Mercedes is quickly running out of driver options. According to Rosberg, Carlos Sainz is the best choice for Mercedes.
He added, “But Sainz probably wants a multi-year contract, which doesn’t make much sense from Mercedes’ perspective. That’s what makes it so difficult, and that’s why Toto is closely monitoring Antonelli’s progress.”
Rosberg explained the impact of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari (which we consider the biggest news in F1 history) on the future of the German team: “Lewis has put Mercedes in an extremely challenging position.”
Since retiring from F1 at the end of the 2016 season, Rosberg has been involved in start-up projects, vlogging, and has occasionally joined the Sky F1 team for events like the recent Chinese Grand Prix.
His honest insights, enthusiastic parc ferme interviews, and extensive knowledge of all things F1 make Rosberg a valuable addition to the mainstream analysis of the sport.