Toto Wolff once again runs out of superlatives for driver Kimi Antonelli after the Italian GP. The Mercedes prospect started from P19 at Monza but drove a fantastic comeback race in front of his home crowd. At the last moment, he also overtook teammate George Russell, completing a magical weekend for Antonelli. According to Wolff, we can already count the young Italian ‘among the best’ after this performance.
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“It is a long road to become as good as the Ayrton Sennas of this world,” Wolff responded to the attending media. “He performed fantastically. I already realized yesterday that this was possible when I saw his mentality and body language. It was clear that his goal was victory.” Starting from P19 was no easy task, but at Monza Antonelli was unstoppable from the first lap.
“His secret lies in handling pressure: staying calm, behaving naturally, and remaining focused,” Wolff revealed. “And all that without feeling pressured. His youth plays an important role in this. He will have a great career. When he heard about the grid penalty, he said nothing and only focused on optimizing his pit stops. He accepted it all silently.”
From early crash to monster win
In 2024, Antonelli made his first appearance in Formula 1. The day before Mercedes announced that he would take over from Lewis Hamilton in 2025, he took charge of the first free practice at Monza. After twelve minutes, he already put the Mercedes into the wall. Wolff looked back on that first performance and the big contrast with 2026. “It is a moment of completion – what was once a difficult moment is now a glorious day. It couldn’t have gone better.”
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“This victory means a lot to me,” he continued proudly. “The enthusiastic red crowd also supports Mercedes. Having an Italian driver today makes it even more special. We have proven why we put him in the car; he is one of the best there is.”
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