Even for Toto Wolff, the current success of his driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli came as a surprise. Although the Mercedes team boss recognized the Italian’s talent early on and therefore included him in the Silver Arrows’ development program, the enormous ‘calmness and structure he has brought to his racing style’ after the past winter break was still unexpected. Wolff therefore points to this as the key to Antonelli’s rise: “His mentality and attitude are important reasons for his success.”
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli surprised everyone with his dominant winning streak between the recent Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix. Also during the last race in Belgium, the Italian driver stood on the top step of the podium, bringing his tally to six victories. For team boss Toto Wolff, his young driver’s winning streak also came as a surprise.
The Austrian compares Kimi Antonelli’s first two seasons in Formula 1. “His first season went as expected,” Wolff tells the media. “There were great moments where his talent shone through, and moments that were very difficult – you know, that long period without results halfway through the season – exactly as expected. After the winter break, also as expected, he knew the environment and the pressure; he knew the demands the team placed on him technically and marketing-wise, and he knew which circuits we would be racing on.”
Yet, the Mercedes team boss was also in for a surprise in 2026. “But what no one expected is the calmness and structure he has brought to his racing style,” Wolff explains. “With Kimi, you saw no difference in emotions during the debrief, whether the session had gone well or badly. It’s purely business. What’s the problem? How do we solve it? How do we move forward? And that’s new. And I think that’s why you, you know, almost never see that enormous excitement a 19-year-old would normally have when he wins.”
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Wolff points to the driving force behind Antonelli’s success
Even when 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli has to deal with a disappointing race – such as his retirement in Barcelona – he remains calm and businesslike, Wolff reveals. “When he doesn’t achieve results, like in Barcelona or Silverstone, he came back to the pit and he was the one who told the team: ‘Well, this is a mechanical sport, these things can happen’. And that at nineteen! That’s very, very impressive to see. And I think this mentality and this attitude are probably one of the main drivers that have allowed his talent to emerge so early in his career.”
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