Toto Wolff commented on the timeline regarding the decision to sign Kimi Antonelli for the Mercedes Formula 1 Driver Program and the key role played by Marco, the driver’s father.
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In the 2026 season, his second year on the grid, the young 19-year-old is the championship leader with a 25-point advantage over teammate George Russell – out of nine rounds, he has won five so far. With the prodigy’s rapid rise, the Austrian boss recalled when he decided to bring him into the Mercedes family.
“We knew he needed a year to adapt and evolve, as Formula 1 is a completely different world from the junior categories,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He had to adapt to the car and learn to balance commitments with sponsors and the media.”
“The goal was always to evolve in the second season, and that is exactly what he did, driving at a very high level and achieving extraordinary results. At this moment, he is exceeding our most optimistic expectations, but he cannot get complacent. Everyone is praising him, but I always ask him to maintain balance. We cannot compare him to Ayrton Senna, who won three titles and is one of the most iconic drivers of all time. Kimi has won five races; therefore, let’s let him evolve,” he continued.
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When asked when he first saw that Antonelli had the potential to become a Mercedes driver, the executive revealed that they had been monitoring him from early on. “At nine or ten years old, he had already achieved success and won championships in karting,” he said.
“We started following him back then and, in 2019, he joined the Mercedes Junior Team. His success, however, is also due to his family. His father is a former driver and owner of the AKM and Antonelli Motorsport teams, so he was able to offer him excellent advice,” he concluded.
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