Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that rookie Kimi Antonelli’s performance at the Italian Grand Prix was “disappointing,” although he reaffirmed his confidence in the young driver as a future star.
Antonelli struggled in his home race, qualifying seventh and finishing ninth.
The 19-year-old driver spun in the second practice and received a final black and white warning flag during the grand prix for repeated track limit violations, as well as a five-second penalty for pushing Williams driver Alex Albon off the track.
“Disappointing this weekend. Disappointing,” Wolff said about the rookie’s race. “You can’t put the car in the gravel and expect to be there. The whole race was disappointing.”
Toto Wolff
“That doesn’t change anything in my support and confidence in his future because I believe it’s going to be very, very, very good. But today was… disappointing.”Toto Wolff criticó a Kimi Antonelli por su actuación en Monza pero insiste en que aún cuenta con su respaldo.Despite the high expectations for his talent and a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, Antonelli’s performance has recently declined.
Mercedes has acknowledged that this season is a steep learning curve for Antonelli, who replaced Lewis Hamilton.
Wolff, who briefly considered Max Verstappen as an option for 2026, confirmed that Antonelli will continue alongside George Russell in 2026.
When asked how Mercedes can unlock the young man’s potential, Wolff said they need to find a way to remove the pressure he carries.
“Just let him go. Let him go,” Wolff said. “You know, he’s a great driver. He has this incredible skill and natural talent. He’s a racing driver. Everything is there. But we need to get rid of the ballast.”
Added: “I think a clean weekend means almost not carrying too much trauma from previous mistakes into the next session or the next weekend because that’s [baggage]. You’re not going to attack the corner hard if you’ve gone off before finishing your session or maybe you’re not attacking a driver who shouldn’t be in your way.”
Antonelli is in eighth position in the championship, 124 points behind Russell.
