One year after critics wondered whether Mercedes was wise to immediately put a young Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a Formula 1 car of the top team, the young championship leader now silences them. Team boss Toto Wolff looks back on that difficult time for the young Italian and explains the enormous progress he has made since then. “Most people didn’t understand at the time how we could put an 18-year-old in a Formula 1 car,” Wolff recalls.
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is in his second year in Formula 1 and already well on his way to becoming the youngest world champion ever. In the three Grands Prix since the summer break, the young Italian has again taken victory twice. The gap to teammate and second place in the championship George Russell now amounts to 81 championship points.
For Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the rapid progress of Kimi Antonelli was also unexpected. According to the Austrian, there is a world of difference between the skills of the young driver this year and a year ago. Back then, after a series of mistakes, there was still criticism of Mercedes’ choice to immediately put Kimi Antonelli in their own car. Former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was also one of those critics.
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‘The critics became increasingly louder then’
“You have to give the doctor (Marko, ed.) credit that he said: Kimi is an extraordinary talent, he just came into Formula 1 too early,” Wolff defends Marko to OE24. “That was at least still positive. Most people didn’t understand how you could put an 18-year-old in a Formula 1 car. Others thought he should have driven for a smaller team for a few years first. When Kimi went through his difficult phase and scored no points in nine races in a row, the critics became increasingly louder. But such a phase is important for personality development.”
Meanwhile, the critics have been silenced. Between the Grands Prix of China and Monaco, Kimi Antonelli even achieved his first five wins in a row. Wolff tries to explain his driver’s progress: “Because of the new regulations, everything was new for everyone. Everyone had to get used to the conditions on the circuit with the new cars. In addition, the aforementioned skills of Kimi come in handy.”
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