After replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and making a strong start to his Formula 1 career, Kimi Antonelli has hit a difficult run which has prompted Toto Wolff to weigh in
Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes have put floundering teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli under “maximum pressure”. But the Silver Arrows chief insists his belief in the struggling 19-year-old’s potential has not been knocked by his difficult start to life in Formula 1.
Italian Antonelli crashed in his first practice run at Monza last year but still inherited Lewis Hamilton’s seat after the seven-time champion left for Ferrari. He finished fourth in an impressive debut and took his first F1 podium in June at the Canadian Grand Prix.
But that was one of just two top 10 finishes in his last eight outings while Antonelli has been beaten by team-mate George Russell in all 14 Grands Prix so far. Antonelli said he has lost all confidence behind the wheel and that showed on Friday when he beached his car in the first hour of practice at Zandvoort.
Wolff said: “I think we have put Kimi under maximum pressure, to be honest. Looking at it now, I felt it was a great idea to have him in FP1 in Monza and present him there – that was maybe a mistake.
“Not because he wasn’t capable of driving the car, but because if he would have finished that lap without crashing it would have been sensational and it would have built the confidence. He’s in a Mercedes, he’s very visible, his results are very visible, his team-mate is great and he’s maximising the car – and therefore you know he feels himself under the magnifying glass.”
Like Russell, Antonelli has yet to put pen to paper on a contract extension beyond the current season. But it is a mere formality that both will win extensions to continue to race for Mercedes in 2026. And Wolff insists Antonelli’s barren run of just one point scored across the seven European races held so far this year has not changed how the team feels about what he can achieve in the future.
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The Austrian added: “The team will continue to believe in him. He needs the time. We’ve embarked on this route. You can ask, ‘Was it right to put him under so much pressure by putting him in the team?’
“We’ve taken that trajectory, we’ve taken that route, and we are fully on the mission. Single race weekends or a session like we had before, it’s not going to change our opinion. Short term, we’re going to say that it’s not good, but Kimi is a long-term investment.”
Lando Norris topped both practice sessions yesterday ahead of team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri. McLaren’s pace was no surprise, but Aston Martin raised eyebrows as the second quickest team in both hours of running. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both very quick but their day was tarnished somewhat when the Canadian crashed at high speed, but luckily walked away uninjured.
High winds caused issues for many including Lewis Hamilton who spun in both sessions, while team-mate Charles Leclerc moaned that Ferrari were “miles off” the pace. Dutch hero Max Verstappen was also more than half a second down after warning that the Zandvoort track could cause problems for Red Bull.
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