WOLFF'S LEWPRINT FOR SUCCESS

Merc chief hoping young gun Antonelli will become overnight sensation like brilliant Hamilton in 2007

- DANIEL MOXON

LEWIS HAMILTON hit the ground running in his debut Formula One season.

And Toto Wolff says he will follow the blueprint Hamilton's former boss Ron Dennis at McLaren when it comes to helping the seven-time champion's replacement bed in at Mercedes.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18, is the young man chosen to fill the void left by Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari.

And the Italian's meteoric rise to F1 means the pressure will be on from the start when he lines up alongside George Russell next year.

Hamilton had a similarly significant reputation when he first appeared on the grid in 2007 with McLaren.

Dennis tried to relieve some of the pressure by saying: "You can't expect, and nor do we expect, performance."