Toto Wolff has ‘100% belief’ in Kimi Antonelli despite horror Dutch GP

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has once again defended Kimi Antonelli after another nightmare weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix.

19-year-old Italian Antonelli had a race to forget at Zandvoort as he crashed into Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and picked up two separate time penalties that saw him drop from sixth to 16th in the final classification.

Mercedes have publicly defended Antonelli several times during a brutal European leg of the season but Wolff stressed his rollercoaster first campaign in F1 was always expected.

"When we made it clear last year in Monza that we would give him the opportunity, we were also saying that we would give him a year of learning," Wolff told media including Crash.net at Zandvoort after Sunday’s race.

"And then there would be moments where we'd tear our hair out and there would be other moments of brilliance. And I think this weekend pretty much sums that up.

"The mistake in FP1, clearly something that puts you on the back foot for all of the weekend. And then in the race, these moments of great driving, you know, once he was in free air, he was behind the McLaren, the quickest car, caught up and then again was involved in that accident that unfortunately meant the end for Charles' race and also for Kimi's race. But we want him to, you know, go for the moves, obviously.

"So, up and downs, but I was absolutely expecting that from this season and every one of those days is going to be a learning for next year. We're not fighting for a constructors' championship - of course, it's P2 and P3 that is at stake, but this has less relevance than next year when it's important to score the points.”

Wolff added: "It's not only the rookie season, what we forget is the decision we took was to put an 18-year-old in the car that had barely two and a half years of single-seater racing in him. When you see him, he's still a boy that we've thrown into this environment.

"I've seen him now, and you just want to hug him and cuddle him because he has that talent, the raw speed that is in him.

"He copes well. But that's also because he's so young, I guess. He doesn't see it as a big catastrophe, impeaching the car in FP1 in minute five. So, positives and negatives, but we were conscious. Rookie and 18-year-old, when we put him in the car. That combo certainly gives it some harsh moments.”

How will Italian fans respond at Monza?

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve was particularly scathing in his criticism of Antonelli. 

Wolff was also asked if he was worried about the reception Antonelli might receive at Ferrari’s home race at Monza this weekend after he took out one of their drivers.

“Well I was thinking in the race, what would it have been if Kimi would have overtaken a Ferrari? I think the people in Italy would have been happy,” Wolff argued.

“Italian fans want an Italian driver that is fighting, that pushes the car to the limit and sometimes over the limit. That’s what happened today. The Italian fans don’t want to have a hesitating driver, but someone that goes [for it].

“Obviously, from the team’s perspective, we don’t want to take a Ferrari out. Certainly not. I’m sure that Kimi doesn’t want to take a Ferrari out particularly. But it is what it is. It’s hard racing.

“I’m sorry for Charles and Ferrari, but we want him to go for the moves, and he should.”