Formula 1 had another victory for Kimi Antonelli, this time at the Japanese GP, but the triumph began with a complicated moment. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff even joked with the young driver after a start he described as ‘grim’.
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Starting from pole position, Antonelli struggled right after the start of the race in Suzuka. The Italian suffered from wheelspin at the start and dropped to sixth position, initially getting stuck behind Lando Norris’s McLaren.
After overtaking his competitor, the Mercedes driver’s pace improved significantly. The strategy also proved decisive when Haas’s Oliver Bearman suffered a heavy 50G accident, triggering the safety car, a moment that ended up benefiting Antonelli.
The Italian had not yet made his stop when the accident occurred, which guaranteed him a pit stop in favorable conditions. Leaders Oscar Piastri and George Russell had already stopped shortly before, allowing Antonelli to take control of the race.
With this, the young driver managed the final 25 laps and secured his second victory of the season. The result also made Antonelli the youngest driver in history to lead the world championship.
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Despite the triumph, Wolff again highlighted Mercedes’ difficulties at the starts and joked with Antonelli: “It was a bad start, and these kids learn in driving schools with automatic cars, so we need to teach them to release the clutch slowly and steadily,” he told Sky Sports F1 with a laugh.
The executive admitted concern at that initial moment: “It was quite grim, and I thought: ‘Not again’, because we are not giving the easiest tools and our starts have been average, we need to improve,” he added.
Even so, Wolff praised the Italian driver’s recovery throughout the race: “He had a big influence on the car not getting away well, but in the race, he recovered and was there when it mattered,” he added.
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