2026-03-17 11:39:37
Toto Wolff has played down talk of Kimi Antonelli challenging for the F1 title after his first Grand Prix victory.
The Italian racer became the second-youngest winner in the history of the sport after taking the chequered flag in Shanghai at the weekend but the Mercedes team principal feels it is far too early to speculate about the 19-year-old becoming world champion.
Wolff told reporters: “I think, first of all, you know, you can kind of see the hype that is going to start now, especially in Italy.
“I see already the headlines, ‘World champion’, ‘Grande Kimi’, and whatever. And that’s really not good. Because those mistakes are going to come. He’s just a kid. So it’s too early to even think about a championship.”
Mercedes have made a strong start to the 2026 season and Wolff says that Antonelli and his team-mate George Russell will be given “equal opportunity” during the campaign.
He said: “We have a good car that, at this stage, is capable of winning. Let’s see what kind of political knives are going to come out in the next few weeks and months. But at the moment, it is a car that is capable of winning. Both have equal opportunity. But it’s so long to talk about winning championships. And I think, as a young person, he just needs the maturity to grow. And he has a fantastic driver as a team-mate, who is eight years longer in the sport.”
Wolff explained that he does not envisage friction between Russell and Antonelli – after he had to manage the tense relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg when the pair fought for titles at the team from 2014 to 2016 – as Mercedes have given both racers their shot in F1.
He said: “Both of them are Mercedes juniors, you know. We’ve been responsible for their trajectories since they’ve come to the single seaters. Kimi even since karting. So I feel, at this stage, maybe I’m going to bite my tongue one day, but I feel that we are in a totally different situation.”
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