Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reacts as Kimi Antonelli bounces back from 'underwhelming Monza'

F1 Grand Prix of Italy - Qualifying - Source: Getty
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Toto Wolff of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team speak- Source: Getty

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was impressed by Kimi Antonelli bouncing back after an underwhelming home race in Monza to claim P4 at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend. The Italian driver had a scruffy weekend until his final lap in the Q3 session in qualifying, where he outqualified his teammate George Russell for only the second time this year.

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The F1 rookie made a clean start to the race, but was unable to pass the Visa Cash app Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson on the track in the first stint. However, he was successful in overtaking following the round of pit stops and found himself in podium contention in the final laps.

Despite being agonizingly close to Williams F1 driver Carlos Sainz during the final laps of the race, Kimi Antonelli had to settle for P4, his best result since his podium in Montreal. In his post-race interview, Toto Wolff, who had been critical of the 19-year-old in Monza, was full of praise for the latter and said:

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"It was a really good rebound after Monza. He had such a difficult spell with the European races. And coming in here with a solid P4, running in the front group, that's something to continue to build on and consolidate."
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With his P4 finish in Baku, Kimi Antonelli also regained his P7 in the driver's standings from Alex Albon.

Kimi Antonelli reflects on his solid race in Baku

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli stated that he was "slightly disappointed" with his P4 finish in Baku as he missed out on claiming another podium in the 2025 season.

As per F1.com, the Italian reflected on the strong weekend and said:

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"Today was a much better Grand Prix than I’ve had in recent races. That said, I am still slightly disappointed that I wasn’t able to get myself on the podium. We were closing in on Carlos (Sainz) in the final few laps, but I just couldn’t quite find the pace to get within DRS range and then attempt an overtake. He did a great job so congratulations to both him and Williams.
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Kimi Antonelli also highlighted that owing to his and Russell's strong results, the German team overtook Ferrari in the Constructors' standings, adding:

"Whilst I was hoping for more, today was still a decent result and with George in second, a good day for us as a team. We gained a lot of points on Ferrari which is a positive and moved back into second in the Constructors’ Championship. The pace across the field is tight but hopefully we can carry the momentum from here in Baku into Singapore in two weeks’ time."

Mercedes have a slender four-point advantage over the Italian team with seven races and three Sprints remaining this year.

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Edited by Devang Chauhan
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