Wolff says Mercedes ignored the doubters over Antonelli before his title

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the team never wavered over Kimi Antonelli, even when outsiders questioned the decision to put him in a Formula 1 car. Antonelli became the youngest World Champion in Mexico City, finishing third in Sunday's race in only his second season of F1.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Wolff described the choice to promote Antonelli as a calculated risk rather than a real one. He said the team felt it had to pinch itself, recalling that it seemed like yesterday when the Italian was 11 years old in a junior karting garage.

From difficult debut to champion

Antonelli had been promoted after just three seasons in junior single-seaters. His first F1 campaign was hard: he failed to score in 10 races, and Mercedes faced calls to replace him. This year he has taken nine Grand Prix wins on the way to the title, at the age of 20.

Wolff said the doubts began in Formula 2, a difficult year after Antonelli won the junior formula. When Lewis Hamilton told him he was leaving for Ferrari, Wolff's immediate reaction was that Antonelli had to be in the car. He said two sponsors left the team because of that decision, while others stayed and are now enjoying the reward.

Wolff on the person

Beyond results, Wolff praised how Antonelli deals with sponsors and partners and how he has become part of the team. The Austrian said the Italian's warmth had changed the mood in the garage, where he greets everyone with a hug and the English staff have started doing the same.

Wolff stressed that Antonelli is still just a young man. He pointed to the driver's maturity on track and with partners, then to a birthday spent at a waterpark with friends, which he said the team loves to see.

• Champion: Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
• Age: 20
• Mexico City result: third
• 2026 Grand Prix wins: nine