Toto Wolff is aware of the pressure that may be placed on Kimi Antonelli due to his stellar start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. The executive emphasized the need to keep feet on the ground.
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The Italian has been the name of the championship, stringing together three consecutive wins between the China and Miami rounds. As a result, he holds the top position in the category standings with 100 points accumulated and a 20-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell.
So, although the team wants to celebrate the achievements of the young 19-year-old, the Austrian pointed out that they are also aware that it is easy for Antonelli to succumb to the pressure in Formula 1 being the driver to beat.
“I think all of us who are close to him need to keep reinforcing and repeating the message: this is a long-term game. He has an exceptional, extremely fast teammate,” he said.
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“Others are closing in terms of performance, and we want to play the long game. We hope he wins many championships over 10, 15 years. We don’t want to stumble now with these huge expectations placed on him, because the moment he has a bad race – which will happen if he makes a mistake – people will say maybe Kimi isn’t the superstar we thought,” he commented.
“We will keep this trajectory. It is an investment that is growing. He is 19 years old. I don’t think I could catch my own flight at 19 and glide to the airport terminal, so what he is doing is incredible,” he concluded.
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