Mercedes won’t rush Antonelli: Wolff stresses long-term support for driver

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has outlined a three-year development plan for his young driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He did this while discussing the challenges rookie drivers face in modern Formula 1, with their race pace now being complicated by the likes of tyre management. 

The comments from the Austrian come after the young Italian driver delivered his maiden podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix where he became the third youngest driver ever to finish in the top three of a Grand Prix. 

Wolff’s confidence in Antonelli comes from a proven track record in karting, with him being part of the Mercedes development program since age 11. 

“Kimi’s been in our junior programme since he was 11, and you can today recognise talent – I would say from the age of 10 – when kids start to compete in international go-karting series,” Wolff explained during the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit! podcast. “We have a good group of scouts in our Mercedes-Benz junior programme, and that’s important. In a way, it works like soccer academies or tennis academies that identify talent very early on.”

Antonelli showed a high level of performance from an early stage, something the businessman saw as an indicator of championship potential. 

“If a kid starts at the age of 8 and is already competitive against older children, that’s a good indication. If that child wins the championship a year younger than everybody else, that’s another good indication. And Kimi has been winning throughout these categories. That’s very exceptional,” he continued. 

But F1 has changed in recent years, with a large amount of complexity stemming from tyre management – something rookies often struggle with. Comparing his driver to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the team chief believes Antonelli could emerge as a championship contender in three years. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

“It’s become very difficult to manage the tyres. It’s not just about speed – how fast you can go on a single lap or over a race – but about nurturing the tyres to drive as fast as you can and at the same time not sliding and not letting them overheat, because you lose tons of lap times. And that is the limitation for young drivers coming up.

“A good example is Piastri, who is leading the championship. It took him a year and a half to catch up to Lando Norris. And this is the first year he has an edge on him. And that is, I think, just tyre management.”

Antonelli currently sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 63 points in his debut season. And while his familiarity with the circuits of the 2025 season remains a challenge for the driver, he’s shown strong consistency.

“With Kimi, he doesn’t know all of the circuits – it was his first time in Montreal – so you start with a massive disadvantage. But the car was good, and he was able to be fast.

“Yes, you probably need to look at a three-year programme and say that’s the time needed for a young driver to challenge the more experienced team-mates – that are also super fast. I mean, George [Russell] today is among the best drivers in Formula 1. And that’s something you need to give young drivers time. You need to accept there will be difficult weekends, underperformance – but that’s just part of how it goes.”

Rejecting the idea of rotating drivers within a team, Wolff confirmed Mercedes wants to nurture young drivers with sustained levels of support. 

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

“I think when you take the right decision in terms of talent, you must be very conscious of who you’re putting in the car. And if that young driver shows a lot of promise, you also need to give them time to develop. That’s what we’re doing with Kimi.

“There were lots of voices that said, ‘How can you put an 18-year-old in a car?’ Especially in a Mercedes – it’s not like competing in a smaller team where you’re under the radar. You’re being catapulted into a seat where people expect you to be on the podium or win races.

“That’s been our philosophy. We wouldn’t give anyone a seat if we didn’t think they could be a champion of the future.”