Toto Wolff spots key data which justifies his bold Kimi Antonelli decision

Toto Wolff will be aware of lap times which justify his decision to call upon Andrea Kimi Antonelli, it has been pointed out.

Teenage star Antonelli was handed the huge opportunity to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year.

Mercedes boss Wolff, who missed out on a young Max Verstappen, did not want to lose out on another prodigious driver.

But Antonelli had endured a poor patch of form which he somewhat arrested at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

“Toto Wolff and all the engineers can see that the gap in qualifying to George Russell is coming down, it’s getting closer,” Tom Clarkson told the F1 Nation podcast.

“That will give Kimi confidence.

“Kimi came into the season with a lot of hype. I was taking a step back. Personally, I was thinking ‘let’s see how it goes…’

“I have more confidence in the decision now than I had six months ago.

“I think Kimi is worth the hype now. I have seen enough.”

Antonelli was only 10th at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but it was only his second points finish in eight races.

He began his rookie season with three in a row.

Mercedes ‘diva’ W16 held Kimi Antonelli back

Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggled with the Mercedes W16, a former Le Mans winner insisted.

“Since they won in Canada with a new suspension, they had belief in that. But it destroyed the confidence of Antonelli,” Tom Kristensen said.

“I spoke to him [on Friday night in Hungary], he was happy, he could play with the car and had trust. That came from the rear suspension. They reverted back.

“We have seen them do this before - come with an upgrade, then revert back. This doesn’t make them close to being world champions again.

“The car is on the edge, it’s a bit of a diva.

“For me, the rear suspension for Antonelli made it good. George is always good, always fast, but doesn’t always get a perfect weekend. That’s the diva Mercedes which is still there.”

Journalist Diego Mejia added to the F1 Nation podcast: “He spoke very well about this track, the Hungaroring, so was already in a positive mood. He needed that because his European season was really bad.

“His best races have come at tracks where he hasn’t been before. He got pole for the sprint in Miami where he hadn’t been before.

“He finds it difficult in the European season, sometimes because of the car, also because George is setting a high standard. He is filling the shoes of a seven-time world champion.

“It’s not the easiest position for a rookie driver.

“I like how, when you speak to Kimi, he always has a smile.”