Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed what he considers to be one of the decisive factors for Kimi Antonelli’s great form in Formula 1. The young Italian won the last three GPs and opened a lead in the championship, consolidating the best moment of his career so far.
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Besides the speed shown in recent races, the team believes that the driver’s growth also comes from the strong relationship built with his race engineer, Pete Bonnington. Known as ‘Bono’, the Brit worked for years alongside Lewis Hamilton and now plays a key role in Antonelli’s development.
Wolff highlighted Bonnington’s influence on the Italian’s performance and explained how the engineer has managed to control moments of pressure during races: “Bono learned from the greats, from (Michael) Schumacher to Hamilton, for many years,” he said.
According to Wolff, Bonnington’s ability to understand the young driver’s behavior became evident during the Miami GP. Antonelli was racing under the risk of penalty for exceeding track limits, a situation that worried the team principal at the pit wall.
“He had two warnings for track limits. I told Bono: ‘One more and I’m going on the radio.’ And he replied: ‘No, no, leave it to me.’ That shows how he knows how to connect with Kimi, how he knows how to handle him, and that has been part of the success,” said the team principal.
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Antonelli is going through a dominant streak this season. The Italian driver won the last three GPs and with the recent results, opened a twenty-point lead over teammate George Russell, ahead of the Canadian GP this coming weekend.
Wolff also praised the consistency shown by the Italian throughout the weekend in Miami, considering that his best performance so far in Formula 1: “For me, it was his best race so far. It reminded me of the Kart or Formula 4 days. There were no mistakes,” he added.
The team principal also joked when commenting on the driving style of Mercedes’ young talent: “I know track limits count as mistakes, but it’s easier to calm someone down than to speed up a donkey,” Wolff concluded laughing, reinforcing confidence in Antonelli’s potential and the partnership built with Bonnington.
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