Lewis Hamilton factor prompts Toto Wolff decision on Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes future

Lewis Hamilton hit the ground running in his debut season, and says he will follow the blueprint when it comes to helping the seven-time champion's replacement bed in at .

, 18, is the young man chosen to fill the considerable void left by Hamilton's decision to start afresh with . And the Italian teenager's meteoric rise to F1 means the pressure will be on from the start when he lines up alongside next year.

had a similarly significant reputation when he first appeared on the grid in 2007 with . Boss Dennis tried to relieve some of the pressure by saying: "You can't expect, and nor do we expect, immediate performance."

That's exactly what the Brit ended up providing, finishing third on debut, winning his sixth ever race and standing on the podium after each of his first nine F1 races. It will be very difficult for Antonelli to recreate that but the boy from Bologna has been dubbed 'the next '.

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And when the teenager's career trajectory was compared to that of the racer, Mercedes boss Wolff compared the situation instead to that of Hamilton as a youngster. The Austrian told Italian magazine : "I think the project that inspired me more is the one that is more similar to Hamilton's career.

"[Hamilton's] growth in the junior categories and his impact in Formula 1 came at a time when you could test a lot more than Kimi has been able to do now. Ron at the time said Lewis needed to take it easy to get used to F1, also because [Fernando] Alonso was at McLaren.

"However, that never happened, Lewis was immediately competitive and a success. With the current preparation, Kimi can jump into our car and be competitive. However, F1 now is a different animal than it was at the time of Hamilton's debut. There are a lot more dimensions and facets compared to the past.

"There is more pressure and social media, so I think it is important to keep everything moving in the right direction, keep the right priorities and avoid what is not essential. The goal is to create a new success story as happened with Hamilton."

Wolff publicly chased Verstappen for some time after the announcement of Hamilton's impending Mercedes exit. But he knew the time was not right for the Dutchman to walk away from Red Bull and added: "We were interested in Verstappen, but it was immediately clear that in all likelihood he would not move to Mercedes.

"Kimi was therefore the best choice for Mercedes. We want to start a new chapter with Mercedes. It is an exciting time, and we think we have found the right combination looking forward. With Lewis, an icon is leaving. As for next year's Ferrari story, there will be huge noise there, it is a decision with extraordinary consequences."