Mercedes admit being ‘scared’ of Kimi Antonelli’s stellar F1 season run.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has admitted Andrea Kimi Antonelli‘s stellar start to the 2026 Formula 1 season “scares me”.
11 May 2926
Anirban Aly Mandal
Motorsport Week
“Kimi is doing an exceptional job at the start of this season,” Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s only his second year in F1, and he’s won three races in a row. He deserves all the recognition he’s receiving, but at the same time, we need to maintain a sense of proportion. F1 is based on consistency, not just on individual moments of success, and Kimi needs the space to grow and write his own story without too much pressure.”
Wolff admits he is scared for when Antonelli makes his first mistake, or rather, the scale of the fallout he predicts that will ensue. “That’s exactly what scares me,” Wolff explained. Kimi is young, he’s charismatic, a little big star… but after a great start, he could have some bad moments, and I don’t want the public to start saying, ‘Oh, what’s happening? We were wrong about him?’”
“It will all be part of the growth process we, as a team, are ready for, but the response from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little. We all want Kimi to become one of the greats of F1, but it’s only the beginning, and we have to treat him like a rough diamond. The media, the fans, and even us at the team have to make this effort.”
“Response from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...tellar-f1-run/
Toto Wolff shares opinion on 'big surprise' from Red Bull
Toto Wolff expected McLaren to take a step forward at the Miami Grand Prix, but did not anticipate Red Bull's rapid improvement.
12 May 2026
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted his surprise at the scale of Red Bull's performance leap at the Miami Grand Prix, describing the Milton Keynes squad's progress as the standout development of the weekend. Red Bull introduced seven updates to the RB22 in Florida, including their interpretation of Ferrari's "Macarena" rear wing, which propelled Max Verstappen from midfield obscurity to genuine front-running pace.
"We're only at the beginning of this new regulation cycle, and the development curve is very steep, so we expected McLaren, with a significant update package, to gain even half a second," Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I have to say that Red Bull was a big surprise because they made a huge step forward, going from more than a second behind the leader to being right there at the front, fighting with Verstappen."
‘Standout development of the weekend’;
https://racingnews365.com/toto-wolff...-from-red-bull
WOLFF EXPLAINS HOW BONNINGTON HAS BEEN A ‘GOOD MENTOR AND STRONG BOSS’ FOR ANTONELLI
Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington, Kimi Antonelli’s race engineer at Mercedes, has received praise from team boss Toto Wolff for how he has handled working with the youngster.
8 May 2026
Formula One - Official Site
Speaking to the media after Antonelli’s latest win in Miami, Toto Wolff was quizzed on how important Bonnington has been in terms of looking after the teenager on the radio, having been heard to warn Antonelli about track limits during the race.
“Bono has learned from the greats, from Schumacher to Hamilton for many years and then now to Kimi,” Wolff responded. “He's been a good mentor to him, but also a strong boss.
“There were a few times today when he had two strikes with the track limits – I said to Bono, ‘One more and I'm gonna go on the radio’, and he said, ‘No, no, you leave that to me’. That shows he just knows how to handle it. That's good, he's been part of the success.”
‘Bono’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...dOxhjvRGV0UclL
Toto Wolff backed to share the love as Mercedes fight intensifies
Martin Brundle does not feel Toto Wolff will struggle to manage George Russell and Kimi Antonelli fairly through an intra-Mercedes F1 drivers' championship battle.
11 May 2026
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365
Martin Brundle believes Toto Wolff will have no problem supporting George Russell and Kimi Antonelli simultaneously if the current F1 season develops into a two-horse race between the pair. "They're both protégés of Mercedes-Benz," Brundle said on Sky Sports F1. "They've been brought through the system together.”
"But is Toto one of those team bosses... We know a few of them who can only love one driver at a time. I think he's shown that he can handle two fast drivers in the team, even if they run into each other every so often. You can't underestimate Kimi Antonelli," the former F1 driver added.
"When you saw Antonelli's pace to win the Japanese Grand Prix, that was something quite special, but then of course, he got quite lucky with the safety car, and George [got] unlucky with the safety car. So I'm still of the opinion that George's experience will play out a few times this year, which will give him the upper hand. But as with any sport at the highest level, you can't underestimate anybody."
‘Toto Wolff backed to share the love’;
https://racingnews365.com/toto-wolff...ht-intensifies
Wolff sends clear message on Russell form amid Antonelli dominance
11 MAY 2026
Samson Ero
GPblog.com
Toto Wolff has offered his assessment of George Russell’s recent dip in form, contrasting it with the rise of teammate Kimi Antonelli. While Antonelli continues to flourish, Russell’s season has taken a tougher turn, with the 28-year-old now on a two-race run without a podium finish. Reflecting on the contrasting fortunes of his drivers, Wolff admitted that Antonelli has been the more consistent performer on race weekends, while also backing Russell to rediscover his best form.
"What we love about this sport is that the clock never lies at the end of the race, and the clock says Kimi deservedly won the last three GPs. Russell hasn't done as well, in some cases due to team problems, or bad luck, and in Miami due to his own mistakes. That said, we know George's value, and we know he'll return, starting from Canada, very competitive and ready to make life difficult for his opponents,” Wolff said via Gazzetta dello Sport.
“The clock never lies at the end of the race”;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/wolff...-surge-in-form
Toto Wolff drops honest Antonelli admission amid title charge
10 MAY 2026
Samson Ero
GPblog.com
The Mercedes team boss, who has watched his prodigy surge to the top of the drivers’ standings in only his second season in the sport, reflected on the expectations now being placed on Antonelli and the reaction he could face from the public when setbacks inevitably arrive after such a flawless run of form.
The 54-year-old stressed that Mercedes’ primary objective is to carefully nurture Antonelli’s development, describing the teenager as a “rough diamond”. "That's exactly what scares me. Kimi is young, he's charismatic, a little big star... but after a great start, he could have some bad moments, and I don't want the public to start saying, 'Oh, what's happening? We were wrong about him?'”
“It will all be part of the growth process we, as a team, are ready for, but the response from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little. We all want Kimi to become one of the greats of F1, but it's only the beginning and we have to treat him like a rough diamond. The media, the fans, and even us at the team have to make this effort, Wolff said to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
‘Watched his prodigy surge to the top’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/toto-...d-title-charge
