Toto Wolff hails "diligent" Mercedes programme after Kimi Antonelli's F1 emergence

Toto Wolff has hailed the “diligent” Mercedes junior programme after the emergence of Kimi Antonelli as a powerhouse of Formula 1.

Antonelli has put his name in the record books in the early stages of the 2026 season, becoming the youngest pole-sitter, the youngest championship leader, the second youngest race winner, and the first driver to convert their first three poles to victories at consecutive races.

This success comes after a mixed rookie season that began and ended strongly, with a difficult European campaign sandwiched between these elements.

Throughout his junior career with Mercedes, the Italian was noticeably shielded from the media spotlight, with access during his Formula 2 season limited to official FIA sessions.

Reflecting on Antonelli’s spectacular rise, Wolff told Sky Sports: "You can look like a fool, or you can look well.

“The junior programme is quite diligent, and if you look at his junior trajectory from mini karts all the way to F2, you see the pace and the speed.

"Then it just needs the development, and we have given him that last year to make mistakes. And there's more to come, but he has good speed [and] character traits."

Speaking to media, including Crash.net, Wolff added: “When you look through his trajectory in karting and in the junior formulas, he was just outstanding.

“When you think about what we said last year, it’s exactly how he has performed and how he has developed. He’s had these great ups, these moments of brilliance, and then moments where he was allowed to make mistakes.

“We needed to calibrate and continue to mentor him, whilst having pressure on him, but he just takes it so well. He is able to analyse it, but then not overthink it. He compartmentalises it, ‘Ok, I made a mistake. I put it away’.

“This year, at the start of the season, he has seen the grands prix, he has worked with the team, he knows the pressure that the media he puts upon him, but nevertheless, we just need to stay calm here, because such a success for such a young man at that stage, all of Italy will be on him.”