12/07/2025 10:10
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes' decision to hand Kimi Antonelli is
official F1 weekend at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix was not "our
most intelligent call." After an extensive private testing schedule
under TPC rules, Antonelli was entered into a grand prix weekend at
Monza in 2024, and deputised for George Russell in FP1 in the
rookie young driver slot. Days after his 18th birthday, Antonelli
initially set the fastest lap of the session, before suffering a
52g crash at the Parabolica, leaving the car looking like "a Lego
set", in Wolff's words. The next day, Antonelli was officially
confirmed as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, with the Italian
enjoying a reasonable start to his grand prix career in 2025. He
was fourth on his debut in a tricky Australian GP, before setting
the fastest lap in Japan, taking Sprint pole in Miami before
finally capturing a first podium with third in Canada. Reflecting
the decision to place Antonelli in the car for the Monza practice
session, Wolff explained why it was a bad decision. "The most
important [thing] is that the development trajectory continues to
be positive," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365 , of
Antonelli. "I think when we look at last year, it wasn't our most
intelligent call to put him in the car in Monza, give him all the
pressure, and then obviously with the incident, that's something
that's in the back of your mind. "I think with the podium now, you
can shake that off and say, 'I've proven that I can be fast."
"Throughout the year, we've given him lots of space to explore, to
develop, to under-hit, or also push hard when he felt confident in
the car. "In that respect, I think that is what you can expect
from a driver who can be a champion one day."
