Toto Wolff Defends Kimi Antonelli After a Difficult Weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has expressed his support for Kimi Antonelli after a complicated weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. Wolff emphasized that it is normal to expect ups and downs in a young rookie driver’s season. Antonelli, the youngest driver on the grid at 19 years old, had a weekend full of challenges. His race ended prematurely on Sunday after a collision with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari at Turn 3, forcing both drivers to retire. Despite these setbacks, Wolff maintains a positive outlook on Antonelli’s performance. Antonelli, who reached sixth position after qualifying in 11th place, faced difficulties from the first practice session, where an error led him off the track. Wolff recalled that, since Mercedes announced Antonelli’s arrival to replace Lewis Hamilton, a learning season was expected with moments of brilliance and others of difficulty.Wolff highlighted that the error in the first practice session conditioned the rest of the weekend, but also emphasized Antonelli’s moments of great driving during the race. Despite the incident that took him out of the race, Wolff emphasized the importance of Antonelli seeking to surpass his limits. Wolff also mentioned that the team is not competing for the constructors’ championship, which allows them to focus on Antonelli’s development for next season.“When we made it clear last year in Monza that we would give him the opportunity, we also said that we would give him a year of learning. And then there would be moments when we would pull our hair out and there would be other moments of brilliance. And I think this weekend sums it up quite well.”
Toto Wolff
Wolff concluded that the combination of being a rookie and being 18 years old undoubtedly entails difficult moments, but that the driver is handling the situation well. Although Mercedes has not yet made an official announcement about its driver lineup for 2026, Wolff confirmed that Antonelli and George Russell will remain with the team next season. Confirmation of this news was expected since Max Verstappen announced that he will remain at Red Bull next year. Wolff explained that some details of Russell’s contract are still being negotiated, but that the continuity of both drivers is assured. Wolff indicated that the team is working on optimizing certain aspects, such as travel and marketing activities, to ensure the best performance of the drivers. Although there will be no official announcement in Monza, Wolff assured that the renewal will be made official soon.“I’ve seen him now, and you just want to hug and pamper him because he has that talent, the raw speed he carries within him.”
Toto Wolff
