Kimi Antonelli has embarrassed Mercedes chief who openly ‘challenged’ him replacing Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes Driver Development Advisor Gwen Lagrue revealed that technical director James Allison initially challenged the decision to promote teenage driver Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement. Speaking to High Performance Racing, Lagrue stated that while team principal Toto Wolff immediately supported the move, Allison was wary about whether Antonelli was prepared for the Formula 1 seat before the team finalized the decision in July 2024.

According to the report, Antonelli justified Wolff's faith by becoming Formula 1's youngest-ever world champion in 2026. Despite his early reservations regarding Antonelli's readiness, Allison had previously praised the young Italian driver as the real deal after he impressed during his initial testing sessions with Mercedes.