Toto Wolff doesn’t think Kimi Antonelli “would have lasted in other teams”
Formula 1 is a vicious meat grinder for young talent. If a rookie doesn't perform immediately, there is usually a very short leash before a team principal shows them the door. For Mercedes, taking a massive gamble on teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton was the ultimate risk. And as team boss Toto Wolff freely admits, there was a dark stretch during the Italian's 2025 rookie…
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has revealed that Ferrari believes their former driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, would not have survived in other teams. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Wolff admitted that the young driver faced a challenging period during his 2025 rookie campaign, with a particularly tough stretch involving nine races without any points scored in the previous year.
Despite the criticism and questions from the outside, Wolff and his team at Mercedes remained steadfast in their support for Antonelli. They trusted their data and the potential they saw in him, rather than succumbing to the outside noise. This unwavering belief in their prodigy ultimately paid off when Antonelli clinched the world championship in Mexico City.
Wolff's decision to give Antonelli a chance not only saved the young talent from being discarded by the demanding F1 machine but also led to the creation of the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
Written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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