Antonelli disappoints at Monza: Wolff backs Mercedes’ young prospect

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Toto Wolff Evaluates Kimi Antonelli’s Performance in Monza

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that rookie Kimi Antonelli’s performance at the Italian Grand Prix was “disappointing,” but reaffirmed his confidence in the young driver as a future star. Antonelli struggled in the home race, qualifying seventh and finishing in ninth place. During the second practice, 19-year-old Antonelli spun, and during the grand prix, he received a final black and white warning flag for repeated track limits violations, in addition to a five-second penalty for pushing Williams driver Alex Albon off the track.

“Disappointing this weekend. Disappointing,” Wolff said about the rookie’s race.

Toto Wolff

“My support and confidence in his future doesn’t change because I believe he will be very, very, very good. But today was… disappointing”.

Toto Wolff
Toto Wolff con Kimi Antonelli
Despite the high expectations for his talent and a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, Antonelli’s performance has declined lately. 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, has 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 freeing him up. Freeing him up,” Wolff said. “He’s a great driver. He has this incredible skill and natural talent. He’s a racing driver. It’s all there. But we need to get rid of the ballast.”

Toto Wolff
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 curve 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 place in the championship, 124 points behind Russell.
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