Wolff firmly quashes Antonelli title hype despite stunning maiden F1 win

The Italian driver followed up the pole position he secured in qualifying yesterday by delivering a dominant and never-in-doubt victory, putting Italy back on top of the world for the first time in 20 years.

Despite the emphatic result, Wolff was keen to ease the pressure already building around the young driver, particularly in his home country, opting for a cautious approach rather than fuelling speculation about a potential title fight with his teammate.

“I think first of all, you can kind of see the hype that is going to start now, especially in Italy. I see already the headlines: World Champion, Grande Kimi, and whatever. That’s really not good, because those mistakes are going to come, and he’s just a kid,” he told GPblog among other media at the end of the race.

“It’s too early to even think about a championship. We have a good car that, at that stage, is capable of winning. Let’s see what kind of political knives are going to come out in the next few weeks and months, but at the moment it’s a car that is capable of winning. Both have equal opportunity, but it’s too long to talk about winning championships. And I think as a young person, he just needs the maturity to grow.”

Antonelli weighs up title challenge after scoring first-ever win in China

He also acknowledged the level of his teammate Russell, describing him as an extremely complete and competitive driver, and admitted that beating him consistently will require significant effort. At the same time, Antonelli underlined how valuable it is to share the garage with such an experienced driver, explaining that he has already learned a great deal from working alongside him.

Looking ahead, Antonelli made it clear that his approach will remain unchanged for the rest of the season, choosing to focus on one race at a time before evaluating where he stands once the championship reaches its conclusion.