Toto Wolff: Kimi Antonelli feels he is “under the magnifying glass” at Mercedes

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admits the Formula 1 squad has piled “maximum pressure” on rookie Kimi Antonelli, leaving him feeling under the microscope.

The Brackley-based squad promoted teenage sensation Antonelli following a single season in Formula 2 after its star driver Lewis Hamilton activated an escape clause in his contract and left for Ferrari.

The Italian, who won titles in Italian F3, German F4 and Formula Regional Europe on his way to F1, has achieved some strong results this year, particularly in Miami sprint qualifying and the Canadian Grand Prix.

However, for a driver who was billed as Mercedes’ future star, his performances have also left much to be desired.

Over the summer break, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko criticised Mercedes for the way it handled Antonelli, arguing that it “immediately exposed [him] to the pressure of F1” by placing him at a front-running team.

Antonelli had rejected Marko’s claim on Thursday at the Dutch GP, saying he hadn’t been put under undue pressure and the benefits of racing for Mercedes in his rookie year outweigh the negatives.

Now, Wolff has weighed in on the debate, conceding that Mercedes did put Antonelli under too much pressure, especially after he crashed in his first F1 practice outing at the Italian Grand Prix last year.

However, he reiterated that the German manufacturer is doing its best to support him - and sees him as a “long-term investment.”

“I think we have put Kimi under maximum pressure, to be honest,” he said in response to Marko’s comments.

“Looking at it now, I felt it was a great idea to have him in FP1 in Monza and present him there. That was maybe a mistake – not because he wasn’t capable of driving the car, [but] because if he would have finished that lap without crashing, it would have been sensational and it would have built the confidence. That’s why.

“He’s in a Mercedes, he’s very visible, his results are very visible, his team-mate is great and is maximising the car. Therefore, he feels himself under the magnifying glass.

“The team – we just continue to believe in him. He needs time. We’ve embarked on this route, so you can say, ‘Was it right to put him under so much pressure by putting him in the team?’

“We’ve taken that trajectory; we’ve taken that route. We are fully on the mission, and single race weekends or a session like we had before is not going to change our opinion. Yeah, short term, we’re going to say, ‘that’s not good,’ but Kimi is a long-term investment.”

No decision on Valtteri Bottas’ replacement

Antonelli has been able to lean on Mercedes’ reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, who rejoined the squad this year after being dropped from his race seat at Sauber.

With nearly 250 race starts and 10 grand prix wins, Bottas has been an invaluable asset to Mercedes in the final year of the rule cycle.

However, the Finn will leave the squad at the end of 2025 after receiving a call-up from Cadillac to join its new team next season.

Wolff said no decision has been made on finding a driver to take Bottas’ role.

"We haven’t figured it out yet. It’s super difficult to replace Valtteri. He ticks all the boxes," said Wolff.