Mercedes Formula 1 chief Toto Wolff says he decided Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be Lewis Hamilton's successor "five minutes after" he learned of the Briton's Ferrari move.
On Saturday, Mercedes finally announced that 18-year-old Antonelli will be promoted to a race seat next year alongside George Russell as Hamilton's replacement.
The announcement brings a close to months of speculation over Mercedes's final decision, with Wolff fast-tracking junior talent Antonelli through private F1 testing while simultaneously sounding out Max Verstappen in case the Dutchman became available.
But as the window to pry the world champion away from Red Bull has since closed, Mercedes has now officially announced Antonelli, with the Italian long considered to be a shoo-in for the seat.
When asked when he made up his mind over his preferred option to replace Hamilton, Wolff said he immediately decided on Antonelli once Hamilton informed him of his Ferrari move in January.
"I made up my mind five minutes after Lewis Hamilton told me that he's going to Ferrari," Wolff said.
"Obviously, we were discussing other options, and also kept the Max idea. We didn't discount it completely with looking at what happened at Red Bull, but instinctively, that is the line-up with these two that I always wanted.
"Bearing in mind the fast-tracking that we did with Kimi and everything related there too, but that was immediately what I wanted to do."
No more flirting with Verstappen
Wolff said Saturday's announcement means that Mercedes has now settled on Russell and Antonelli as its driver line-up for the foreseeable future, although Mercedes has been vague about the Italian's contractual terms.
"These two are the future," Wolff said. "They have been and will be Mercedes drivers, and therefore we have contracts with George and Kimi that go much longer, that are very complicated in terms of options, etc.
"This is a pressure cooker, but this is where we stand as a team today, we want to go with these two. The most important thing is to see how George and Kimi settle in and I see no reason at that stage not giving them the faith and the trust of going forward.
"What that means for the terms is something that we will discuss between ourselves, but we wouldn't have gone for the line-up with these two if we wouldn't believe 100% that they are the best choice for Mercedes."
That also means that any Verstappen talk can be put on ice, and Wolff vowed that he would not be entertaining second thoughts if the Dutchman became available next year.
"So, what I appreciate also in dealing with them is just very straightforward, and I don't flirt outside," he added.
"I got nearly caught out by the Lewis situation, but I have not entertained any discussions with any drivers when giving it all from the team to make it a success.
"And this is why all of our focus in the team is on George and Kimi. There's no discussion, there are no second thoughts about what we're doing in 2026 because now it's about 2024 and 2025.
"And if flirting outside happens, then these guys will know it at the same time when we have those discussions."
