Interview
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Kimi will be the real deal’ – Wolff on Antonelli’s signing, Russell’s senior role and his Hamilton relationship
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Mercedes are giving their protégé Kimi Antonelli a shot at the big time by promoting him to their F1 team next season as a replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Speaking exclusively to F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto, boss Toto Wolff explains how he and the team came to the decision team him up with George Russell for 2025...
“I’ve always tried with my team and with Mercedes to be bold and to look into the future and I think pretty early on, we liked the idea [of promoting Antonelli],” says Wolff when we chat on the top floor of Mercedes’ motorhome, overlooking Monza’s iconic pit building.
“We were convinced of his talent before – it was a question of maturity. Now we are prepared to take the risk on maturity in terms of the pressure of F1.
“But we see Kimi is in the long-term future of the team and that’s why, at a certain stage, you have to jump in the cold water.”
Mercedes have been following Antonelli’s progress for seven years. The Silver Arrows were so impressed with what they saw early on, they recruited him to their junior programme in 2018, when he was 12.
Kimi Antonelli will be a full-time Mercedes F1 driver in 2025, replacing Lewis Hamilton
Since then, they’ve guided him through the junior formulae. So rapid was his progress – he skipped F3 to race in F2 this year – they would have likely ran Antonelli in F2 for two years to be belts and braces. But Hamilton’s shock departure forced a rethink.
They considered going for experience in the shape of Carlos Sainz – who lost his Ferrari seat to Hamilton and they tried to tempt three-time world champion Max Verstappen away from Red Bull. But ultimately Mercedes signed Antonelli, so what was the trigger point?
ANALYSIS: Why Mercedes chose to take a risk and sign 18-year-old Antonelli for 2025
“It was not easy because there were great pilots that we were looking at – and ones who deserved to be in Mercedes,” said Wolff. “Carlos is a good example and he would have been quick, he would have been a great contributor to championships – also next year.
“But in a way, our junior driver programme is important to us and I think the long-term future is between Kimi and George, who have both been with us from the very early ages onwards.
“They have won all the junior categories you need to win, have achieved all the targets and objectives we have set them – and that’s why we have bet on the Mercedes programme and we feel comfortable with it.”
Wolff on signing 'superstar' Antonelli
'He’s a great personality'
Just how good is Antonelli? Well, Wolff likened his form in karting to that of Verstappen, seven-time world champion Hamilton and race winners Russell and Lando Norris.
“When we first talked about him, there is this very special kids in go karting that through the categories, they are always there – they win,” said Wolff. “And he was one of them in the same way Max was in the past, or George or Lando or Lewis to name just a few. That is when he came on the radar.
“Also, he’s a great personality, which is no wonder because his family is great. His parents have the just the right mix of pressure and putting an arm around him.
“His father was professional driver, still is, he’s going quicker than me in a touring car. But they have super values. Put all that together – the fierceness in the car, the lion in the car and then outside someone who is nice and has good values – that is what convinced us.”
Anyone who has risen as rapidly as Antonelli is bound to be in the spotlight when they make it to F1 – just like Verstappen and Hamilton did. You could argue the pressure will be even greater on Antonelli because he carries the weight of a nation in Italy who treat F1, their beloved Ferrari team and their drivers like a religion. But Wolff is confident Antonelli can cope.
Wolff is confident Antonelli can cope with the pressure
“We could see when he was a kid already that he coped well with pressure,” said Wolff. “There were examples of drivers who made such a big jump. Not only Kimi, but the other Kimi comes to my mind – Kimi Raikkonen. He went straight from Formula Renault to F1.
“He jumped everything in between and was successful. There is no doubt he has the talent, the ability, the skills – and now it’s about allowing him space to grow up within this crazy tough ruthless environment and we will protect him and allow him to grow.
“We expect difficult moments. People will doubt. We will see highlights also. Kimi will be the real deal in a while, maybe not yet.”
He added: “Italy is a racing country. There is a starvation of young drivers who were given an opportunity in the top car. He has that opportunity. I think Italy will go bananas with the next superstar.
“I also told him this is the last week you’re living in animosity. The moment this is out, it won’t be that easy to go out for pizza because people will recognise you.”
'George has all he needs to step in the more senior role'
Wolff’s decision to take a chance on a rookie was helped by the fact Russell has stepped up his game in recent times and proved to the team that he is capable of leading the squad when Hamilton departs.
“George is in his seventh year,” said Wolff, who brought Russell into F1 with Williams before promoting him to Mercedes after three seasons. “He’s always had a wise mind in a young boy’s body. He’s very reflective, self-critical in the degree that is important for not having an ego run away.
Wolff believes Russell is ready to take a more senior role alongside Antonelli
“He’s learning, he’s constantly developing. That is a skill we have all admired with Lewis – although he’s this great champion, he is constantly developing as a human and as a racing driver.
“So yes, George has all he needs to step in the more senior role in the team and take the leadership when it maybe comes to technical decisions on set-ups that need to be taken. I have great confidence in him.”
Wolff and Hamilton have 'grown together like brothers'
After the initial shock of Hamilton’s departure and through the passing of time plus the solidifying of the team’s future driver line-up, Wolff says he and the seven-time world champion “get on better than we ever did” ahead of the ending of their professional relationship that began in 2013.
He added: “It’s been 12 years and we’ve grown together like brothers. We’ve had our difficult moments which were very important to, in a way, agree how open and transparent we would be with each other.
“Now the decision is clear, we’re going for Kimi, everything is open, the team just love him and will continue to love him. Whether he’s in a red overall or doing something else, he’ll always be part of this family.”
Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc when he moves to Ferrari for next season
'I’m not flirting outside'
With Antonelli and Russell signed up for 2025 what does that mean for his pursuit of Verstappen – which has intensified this year? Well, for now at least, the chase is on ice.
“It’s very clear,” he said. “We have decided on George and Kimi. We would like to make this function for the very long term, not just one year. We’ll give it all the effort we have.
“I said it in the past, when the talk came up about other drivers, now the decision has been taken. We have a relationship with the two, I’m not flirting outside. I’m not doing this in my private life, I’m not doing in my professional life.
“If we were to come to a conclusion where we don’t like that, then the drivers will know firsthand. We will not be entertaining any flirting.”
PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Which team has the edge ahead of an exhilarating Monza match-up?
The challenge ahead...
For now, the focus is on getting Antonelli fully prepped for his debut next year, with the Silver Arrows planning a continuation of his private F1 test programme alongside his F2 campaign.
There will be another FP1 appearance – Mexico is the frontrunner here – and the end-of-season young driver test in Abu Dhabi, too. And of course, there’ll be hundreds of hours of time in the in-loop simulator.
The chase for Verstappen looks to be on ice
The anticipation will build until the season opener in Australia. How will Mercedes help him deal with the pressure and navigate the intense world of Formula 1?
“It’s a very valid point as we have seen drivers who have come into F1 who were extremely talented and had natural raw speed,” said Wolff. “How they manoeuvred F1 from a social side, in terms of relationships, and how they have been guided by teams, misled by leadership, dragged into the wrong decisions, carried away with emotions.
“I think with Kimi, we can see that these things don’t worry me at all, because of his upbringing, his background, his family, also being part of our family for a long time. There is going to be moments where we have discussions but the basis of what he needs to be a great racing driver is there.”
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