Kimi Antonelli set to be named as Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes

Teenager Kimi Antonelli is set to be named as Lewis Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes on Saturday – 24 hours after his Formula One debut ended in the wall.

Antonelli, who turned 18 last Sunday, was thrust into George Russell’s cockpit for the opening practice session for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

But his hotly anticipated first appearance lasted fewer than six laps, and only 10 minutes, after he lost control of his Mercedes at the Parabolica at 160mph, sliding backwards through the gravel and into the tyre barrier.

The Italian launched an expletive over the radio, before apologising to his team. He emerged from his damaged Mercedes and was taken to the medical centre. The crash registered at an eye-watering 45G. He was later given the all-clear.

Hamilton’s blockbuster transfer to Ferrari leaves a vacancy at the Silver Arrows, and, after failing to woo Max Verstappen from Red Bull, Antonelli’s promotion is poised to be confirmed before final practice at the Italian’s home race on Saturday.

Asked what bearing the crash will have on Antonelli’s F1 chances, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff replied: "Zero. An FP1 that’s gone wrong is not a reason why you decide to fall against the driver.

"What we always said is that he’s a rookie, he’s very young, and we are prepared to invest in his future.

"These moments will happen, and they will continue to happen next year, but there will also be a lot of highlights. What we’ve seen today is that we have a problem in slowing him down, rather than making him faster, because what we’ve seen from one and a half laps is just astonishing."

Verstappen, who leads Lando Norris in the championship by 70 points with nine rounds left, remains on Mercedes’ radar for 2026.

The Dutchman