Kimi Antonelli’s excellent start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has generated much praise, but Toto Wolff insists on putting a brake on the excitement. The Mercedes boss stated that the young Italian should not yet be compared to Ayrton Senna or other legends of the category, despite the impressive results achieved this year.
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After nine rounds, Antonelli has five wins and also won the Sprint race at the British GP, leading the drivers’ championship. The lead, which reached 66 points after the Monaco GP, dropped to 25 after mechanical problems compromised his results in the following races.
The Italian abandoned a second-place position at the Barcelona GP due to a car failure and also lost a probable victory at Silverstone. In the final stretch of the British race, when chasing Charles Leclerc for the lead, a problem with the wheel protector ended his chances of triumph.
Wolff recalled that Antonelli’s evolution was already part of the team’s plan since his debut last year. According to the executive, the first year was dedicated to the adaptation process to Formula 1, including not only performance on the track but also new responsibilities off it.
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“We knew he would need a year to adapt and evolve, because Formula 1 is a completely different world from the junior categories. He needed to learn to deal with the category and also with commitments to sponsors and the press,” said the Mercedes boss.
For Wolff, the goal was always to see Antonelli make a performance leap in his second season, something that, according to him, happened beyond expectations: “The plan was always to evolve in the second year, and he did that, driving at a very high level and achieving extraordinary results. At this moment, he is exceeding even our most optimistic expectations, but he cannot get complacent,” he added.
Even in the face of the young driver’s exceptional phase, Wolff emphasized that premature comparisons must be avoided: “Everyone is praising Kimi. I always ask for balance. We cannot compare him to Ayrton Senna, who won three titles and is one of the most iconic drivers in history. Kimi has won five races, let him continue growing,” concluded the Mercedes boss.
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