Lewis Hamilton replaced with 18-year-old in clear Mercedes succession plan

Outgoing Mercedes operator Lewis Hamilton volition miss the archetypal signifier thigh astatine the Mexico Grand Prix arsenic his replacement adjacent year, teen Andrea Kimi Antonelli, takes centre stage

Lewis Hamilton volition not enactment successful the archetypal signifier league astatine the Mexico Grand Prix with Mercedes inferior Andrea Kimi Antonelli acceptable to thrust successful his place.

Hamilton, 39, confirmed earlier this twelvemonth that helium would permission Mercedes astatine the extremity of the play and has endured a mixed campaign. The Brit failed to decorativeness successful the United States Grand Prix aft crashing into the gravel during his 3rd lap.

And it has present been revealed that the seven-time world champion volition beryllium replaced by Antonelli, 18, who volition enactment successful his 2nd FP1 league of the play successful Mexico City.

Antonelli besides drove for Mercedes connected the Friday backmost successful September successful Monza. But the talented teenager's league came to an abrupt extremity successful the 5th league pursuing a crash.

The Italian is acceptable to regenerate Hamilton for Mercedes adjacent play erstwhile helium links up with Ferrari. He precocious revealed that the Formula 1 fable has been a large assistance down the scenes by providing Antonelli with plentifulness of enactment and encouragement.

He besides moved to play down speech that helium was replacing the Brit, with Antonelli insisting that Hamilton is, rather simply, irreplaceable. He said past month: "I deliberation it's not imaginable to regenerate Lewis Hamilton.

"He's specified a large fig successful the athletics of today, and helium has achieved truthful overmuch successful his career, truthful I don't privation to [be seen] arsenic his replacement I'm conscionable the adjacent operator for Mercedes successful '25, truthful I'm truly excited for that."

Mercedes squad main Toto Wolff defended Hamilton pursuing his mishap successful Texas aft revealing that the operator apologised aft helium failed to decorativeness successful the US.

Wolff said: "Today, an incidental successful that country that came retired of nowhere. He was not pushing. So wherever I beryllium astatine the moment, it is 100 percent not Lewis' fault. That is not to accidental that I americium protecting him - it is clear.

"We are keen connected (finishing connected a precocious earlier Hamilton's Ferrari move), but however his mindset and however the relationships are successful the squad is arsenic bully arsenic we ever had. First happening helium said, helium apologised for the incident. As I said before, I bash not deliberation it was his fault. Something caught him out.

"We privation to observe it and decorativeness it connected a precocious and I americium definite we will. Whether we tin bash it with large show successful the car, that would beryllium fantastic. But if not, past we volition springiness it our champion shot. I deliberation helium volition beryllium looking astatine what they are and we deliberation that reddish car is quick."