Toto Wolff: Two sponsors left Mercedes after promoting Kimi Antonelli into F1
At the Mexico Grand Prix, Mercedes reaped the reward for the courage it showed in putting the then 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli in the cockpit from 2025 with his world championship triumph in his just second Formula 1 season. It was courage that not everyone in the Mercedes sphere shared from the outset, as team principal Toto Wolff now reveals. "We had two sponsors who left us because of it ...…
Kimi Antonelli, the youngest Formula 1 world champion at just 20 years old, delivered an emotional speech after claiming his maiden title in Mexico. The victory came in a race where neither his Mercedes teammates George Russell nor Lewis Hamilton could secure a win. Antonelli dominated the season, winning nine out of the 19 races, and made a strong comeback to claim his first podium finish of the year at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
He expressed his gratitude to Mercedes, his family, and his team, stating that he was "speechless" and deeply grateful for this moment. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff praised Antonelli's performance, while Ferrari's Max Verstappen and Hamilton, who finished second, praised the young driver's impressive season. Verstappen and Hamilton also celebrated the win with Antonelli on the podium.
Antonelli became the first Italian world champion in 73 years, following Alberto Ascari's record in 1953.
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