Toto Wolff doesn’t like the comparisons made between Kimi Antonelli and Ayrton Senna. The Mercedes boss pointed out that it’s not necessary to put such pressure on the shoulders of a driver who is only 19 years old.
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After winning the Japanese GP, the Italian took the lead in the 2026 Formula 1 season and, with that, became the youngest leader in history. In his second year in the category, he has shown evolution and already holds a 22-point advantage over George Russell.
But from the beginning, Kimi revealed that the Brazilian three-time champion is his ultimate idol in the sport, even racing with #12 as a form of tribute. But Wolff doesn’t like to see parallels between the competitors.
“Speaking about Kimi, we have always been very clear about the objectives, that we foresaw a first year of learning, marked by great performances and positive moments, but also by difficulties. That is exactly what we have seen. Now we are in the second year and he continues to evolve exactly as we expected and had predicted,” he told Reuters.
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“Naturally, in Italy everyone wants to talk about titles and ends up making comparisons with Ayrton Senna. It’s not something I like to see, because we cannot forget that he is 19 years old. In any case, he is handling the pressure very well,” he continued.
“At certain times, we supported him; at others, we also put a little more pressure on Kimi. But, overall, everything is going as we predicted,” he concluded.
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