Wolff Criticizes Antonelli at Monza: “Disappointing Weekend”, but Supports Him

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,” although he reaffirmed his confidence in the young driver as a future star. Antonelli struggled in his home race, qualifying seventh and finishing ninth. During the second practice, 19-year-old Antonelli spun. In the race, he received a final black and white warning flag for repeated track limits violations and 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

Wolff added: “It doesn’t change my support and confidence in his future because I think he’s going to be very, very, very good. But today was… disappointing.”

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, has confirmed that Antonelli will continue alongside George Russell in 2026. When asked how Mercedes can unlock the young driver’s potential, Wolff said they need to find a way to take the pressure off him.

“Just free him. Free him,” Wolff said. “He is a great driver. He has this incredible ability and natural talent. He is a racing driver. Everything is 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.