Kimi Antonelli’s success story is a nine-year journey that has passed through delicate phases, difficult days and debatable decisions. This “fairy tale” began with the enthusiasm of an eleven-year-old child whose talent in karting could not be ignored. The Mercedes team signed that child to a contract, following him step by step throughout his journey at the Brackley Academy, until it brought him to Formula 1 at the age of eighteen, taking the important place left vacant by Lewis Hamilton. This journey is what makes the team principal, Toto Wolff, prouder today; he expresses his surprise at Antonelli’s growth, as Antonelli will soon race in Mexico for his first world title in Formula 1.
Wolff described Antonelli’s race in Austin as “the best Kimi has done so far in Formula 1”. He highlighted Antonelli’s ability to start on inferior tyres, stay ahead and manage the race in that way, calling it “incredible”. Although victory in Texas was not in the team’s plans, as they were working to manage the car after the new upgrade package, Kimi “exceeded the performance” of the car, overcoming its limitations on track. Wolff also expressed satisfaction with Antonelli’s improvement regarding track limits, after a reprimand in Singapore, stressing that the only violation in Austin was not his fault.
Regarding George Russell’s difficulties during the US race weekend, where he finished eighth, Wolff said the team has no doubt about Russell’s abilities as a champion. He stressed that Russell has won in every category before Formula 1 and deserves to be among the best. Wolff explained that when the car is not set up in the way that suits Russell, he can struggle more than Kimi to find the right rhythm. He described this as a team problem that must be solved together, since “George is not slower than Kimi” and has all the capacity, intelligence and determination to win.
With the possible celebration of the drivers’ world title with Antonelli in Mexico, Wolff is extraordinarily proud, but stresses that the credit is not his alone, but belongs to the whole team and the young drivers department that discovered Antonelli at the age of eleven. He recalled an interview with Piero Ferrari, who compared Antonelli’s talent with that of Niki Lauda. Wolff emphasised that this talent is the result of many years of development, sacrifices, integration into the team, cooperation with engineers and an investment of tens of millions of euros in developing his career, skills and character, as well as the great work of his parents. He stressed that this is not merely a chance success.
Wolff revealed that many people, including members of other teams, doubted Antonelli last year, after nine consecutive races without points, saying he should be neither at Mercedes nor in Formula 1. He recalled the difficult moment at Spa, where Antonelli cried after another tough race. However, seeing Antonelli racing now in this way makes everything extremely satisfying, considering it the team’s “real victory”.
The aspect that has impressed Wolff the most this season is Antonelli’s change of mentality. The change in technical regulations has helped, but Kimi has found his own way to make things work. Before the race in Austin, Antonelli told Wolff that “I will enjoy it and I’m not thinking about the championship at all”. Wolff advised him to keep this attitude, reminding him that he has the best job in the world. This mentality and the way he experiences races is “incredible”, marking a big step forward mentally, of which the whole team is very proud.
Taken from La Gazzetta dello Sport