Mercedes youngster Antonelli has surprised the F1 world with his strong start to the 2026 season, currently topping the Drivers’ standings nine points ahead of teammate George Russell after the first three rounds.
While few have doubted the Italian’s pace behind the wheel of an F1 car, several mistakes across his debut season in 2025, including a tough European patch midway through the year, will have left many wondering whether he was ready to take the fight to Russell when Mercedes emerged as title favourites.
But Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Wolff has defended the Silver Arrows’ decision to trust Antonelli, only an 18-year-old during his rookie F1 season.
‘We knew Antonelli’s mistakes would happen,’ says Wolff
Photo: Race Pictures
Speaking to The Athletic, Wolff was asked what he has learned about managing and motivating his drivers during his time in charge at Mercedes.
Wolff said: “Well, I was a driver myself, so I understand the pressures that these kids are exposed to. And they’re multi-dimensional pressures.
“When we see an upcoming driver, we obviously judge on talent, raw speed, development ability, but also the management of pressure. Because in F1, it is all about pressure and handling that while being able to perform.”
Wolff then compared Mercedes’ patience with Antonelli to how other junior programmes treat their drivers.
“When you look at the policy of other junior teams, they fire drivers if they’re not doing well after three races. We’ve done the opposite with Kimi.
“We basically drafted an 18-year-old into the team that had the best track record of any junior driver in karting and smaller formulas, but he made many mistakes in year one.
“People were very critical of us doing it. They said he was too young, he makes too many mistakes, and we are burning him. And that was an absolutely calculated risk. We knew that this would happen in year one. “
While Antonelli leads the championship, speculation surrounding a Mercedes move for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will hardly be too helpful.
However, following the announcement that Verstappen’s trusted race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028, Juan Pablo Montoya has said Mercedes represent a “perfect opportunity” for the Dutchman should he stay in the sport beyond 2026.
Montoya told AS Colombia: “Team boss Toto Wolff has always said very clearly that he wants Max in his team. This could well be the perfect opportunity for Verstappen.
“Red Bull is on the slower side. If they stay that way all year, Max will definitely be looking for a way out, for a way to leave as soon as possible.”