Kimi Antonelli gives ‘good indication’ to Toto Wolff about his F1 future

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised Kimi Antonelli after the rookie prodigy's stellar weekend at the Miami GP. The young Italian rewarded Wolff's trust in him by bagging a record-setting maiden pole in the sprint qualifying, followed by a third-place grid spot for the main race.

Following Lewis Hamilton's high-profile switch to Ferrari, Mercedes chose 18-year-old Antonelli to replace the seven-time F1 world champion. The move raised concerns due to Antonelli's inexperience at the top level, with many suggesting that he should've begun with a customer team like Williams, following a path similar to George Russell.

Wolff, however, stuck to his guns and went ahead with the teenage sensation. The decision seemingly paid off, as Antonelli currently ranks one spot above Hamilton in the standings. Barring Bahrain, where he fell victim to an ill-timed pitstop that left him out of the top 10, the Mercedes driver has consistently finished near the top five, with a best finish of fourth at Melbourne. Moreover, his pole last Saturday's sprint qualifying marked him as the youngest polesitter across all formats of F1.

Reflecting upon the feat, Wolff highlighted Antonelli's reassuring single-lap pace:

"I think the high point definitely was seeing Kimi Antonelli's speed on a single lap, great. You know that's another proof of his talent and a good indication to how the future can be."

However, the rookie driver wasn't able to convert his pole into a sprint win, as he was forced wide by Oscar Piastri in the first corner, an error that cost him three places. On Sunday, he kept himself among the frontrunners during the race start, but struggled to find pace with the hard compound as much as others could. Wolff offered his take on Antonelli's race pace and said:

“Wen he went on to the hard (tires), he just lacks experience managing it the right way. And then finding the right references, and Bono [Race Engineer Pete Bonnington] really tried to guide him, but when you're in that car, it's not easy. And I think it's just part of the learning curve. It's nothing that is disappointing or not. Overall, I go away with the feeling that he's done a good job.”

Kimi Antonelli ultimately finished seventh in the sprint and sixth in the main race, mirroring his outing in Shanghai.

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Toto Wolff consoles Kimi Antonelli after an unfortunate outing in the Miami sprint

Kimi Antonelli rued a pit road incident with Max Verstappen costing him track position at the Miami sprint race. The reigning champion was released into Antonelli's path, leading the Mercedes driver to abandon his pitstop. The delay, compounded with his opening lap debacle with Oscar Piastri, left the rookie with a seven-place drop from his pole position.

After the race ended, Toto Wolff dismissed the result and gave Antonelli words of support over the team radio:

"Kimi, it's a short race. It's irrelevant."

Up next, Antonelli heads to the European leg of the calendar, which has tracks where he has more experience, unlike the Miami street circuit, which he raced on for the first time.