Lewis Hamilton has given Toto Wolff some advice and revealed his ideal choice of successor

Lewis Hamilton has told Toto Wolff to gamble on youth and pick 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace him at Mercedes next year. The seven-time world champion is leaving for Ferrari at the end of the season and has left his Silver Arrows team principal with the daunting task of recruiting another driver for the 2025 campaign.

But teen Antonelli has been impressing in Mercedes’ academy ranks and has been tipped for a bright future, currently undergoing his debut Formula Two season in preparation for another promotion – potentially straight into the Mercedes hotseat.

At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Hamilton was asked about the prospect of Ferrari driver Sainz going in the opposite direction and taking his seat at Mercedes, but instead he wanted to put forward another option.

“Carlos is a great driver so wherever he goes he would be a positive for any team,” said Hamilton. “I have no idea what Toto’s plans are, but for me, if it was my job and my role, I would take on a youngster, and I would take on Kimi.”

Antonelli has been fast-tracked to his current F2 position and retains the support of Wolff, who put him in a Formula One car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring in Austria last month. He tested the Mercedes W12 in a planned event, with more dates added for the wonderkid later this year.

At Suzuka, Wolff explained that he was prepared to bide his time before naming a successor to Hamilton, perhaps hinting that Antonelli was being given the option to prove himself in further testing.

“We haven’t taken the decision yet and it’s not something that we plan to do in the next few weeks,” Wolff shared. “The driver market is very dynamic, some of the really good guys are about to sign for some of the other teams.

“We want to continue to have these discussions and keep the options open, but it’s much too early for us to commit to a driver, whether very young or very experienced.”

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“One Of Only A Few To See The Darkest Moment Of Dale Earnhardt” as exposed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stirred Reaction

If you’re a NASCAR fan, you can probably still remember everything about the day that Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

I know I can: I was 12 years old, and I still remember thinking “Oh, he’s going to be fine, I’ve seen wrecks that look a lot worse.”

It’s the same thing that a lot of NASCAR fans were thinking. He was the Intimidator. The toughest guy in NASCAR. There’s no way anything could happen to him.

And then I remember my shock when I heard those infamous words from NASCAR President Mike Helton a couple hours later:

“After the accident in turn four at the Daytona 500, we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”

But there’s nobody else in the world who has the memories of that day that Ken Schrader does.

Kenny was involved in the wreck that took Dale’s life, plowing into the side of Earnhardt’s car as it went sliding up in front of him after Earnhardt received a bump from Sterling Marlin.

And he was the first person to run to Dale’s car after the crash.

You’ve probably seen the video of Ken looking into the car, and then frantically waving to the medical crew. He knew it was bad as soon as he looked inside.

Exactly what did he see, though? We’ll never know – because Ken has refused to talk about it, even after 19 years.

Kenny has explained on many occasions that he’ll never talk about what he saw that day, unless Dale Earnhardt Jr. or his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, ask him about it.

And on an episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Junior got the chance to tell Kenny just how much that means to him.

Choking back tears, Earnhardt Jr. read the emotional note that he wrote to Kenny about their shared bond:

I’ve known you a long time, and a lot of time his passed since that happened. And you’ve been a great friend to me.

You’re one of only a few to see the darkest moment for my dad. Though you have intimate knowledge of those moments, you are a keeper of that delicate information. It makes me feel close to you, Kenny.

I feel pain for you to have to carry that memory, but you carry it for me, you carry it for Kelley, dad’s family, you carry it for anyone who’s ever cheered for him. It’s a secret that you’ll keep ’til your last breath. Kenny, I know you might sometimes wish you weren’t the one, but I’m glad it was you.”

It’s clear from hearing Dale Jr. talk to Ken about something so personal that the two share a special bond over the tragic loss of Dale Sr.

And it was a special moment on the podcast for Dale Jr. to tell Ken just how much that bond means to him.

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“Go kick their a**” John Force Says To Chase Elliott Over The NASCAR Event

Just a day before the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports ace and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, received best wishes from 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John Force.

The 75-year-old driver of the Peak Auto Chevrolet Camaro for John Force Racing wished Elliott luck ahead of the All-Star race while also sending his best wishes for the 28-year-old’s father.

“My #TeamChevy teammate @chaseelliott always says to eat at @Hooters. Somebody tell the boss at@TeamHendrick that the food was GREAT! Elliott, tell Dad I say I love him, and go kick their a** at
the @NASCAR ALL-STAR race! @peakauto,” John Force wrote on X.

John Force and Chase Elliott’s dad, Bill Elliott, have been friends for a long time now. The legendary Bill Elliott won this famous race back in 1986, the only time it was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway and not at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, the usual venue was altered following the pandemic-struck 2020.

Chase Elliott has one victory so far in the prestigious All-Star race, that came back in 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last year, he finished fifth in the coveted event. The Dawsonville native currently stands fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, just above his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, with 437 points to his credit.

Elliott’s only race victory so far has come at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 in Fort Worth, Texas. He had two more podium finishes at the AdventHealth 400 in Kansas and the Cook Out 400 in Martinsville, finishing third in both races. The American most recently raced at the Goodyear 400 at the Darlington Speedway, finishing 12th.

The number 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, wheeled by Chase Elliott will swap its usual blue and yellow paint scheme and instead, feature a sleek, matte-finish, all-black look to commemorate TEC5 Clifford
Strickland, who died in captivity during World War II.
This move by Hendrick Motorsports and longtime partner NAPA Auto
Parts during the Memorial Day weekend is a salute to the former and
the current members of the American military.

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