Wolff aware of ‘risk’ with Antonelli as he says eye-catching raw pace needs to be ‘conditioned’

Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes are taking a “risk” by promoting Kimi Antonelli to a race seat for the 2025 season, but he is confident the Italian youngster has all the raw ingredients needed to succeed.

Antonelli was announced as Lewis Hamilton’s future replacement at the recent Italian Grand Prix, where he also made his free practice debut, completing a rise from Formula 4 to Formula 1 in just three years.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Kimi will be the real deal’ – Wolff on Antonelli’s signing, Russell’s senior role and his Hamilton relationship

It was an event of mixed emotions for the 18-year-old, whose FP1 outing lasted just 10 minutes before he crashed out heavily, with the Silver Arrows then confirming him as George Russell’s new team mate the following day.

Asked about Antonelli’s practice outing and incident, Mercedes boss Wolff said: “That can happen. I think we don’t want to slow a driver down. We’re happy to work with someone who has so much speed, that has confidence.

“Sometimes that can end up in the wall… I think he just pushed too hard and expected from the car more than it had at that time, and that’s okay.”

As for what he saw from Antonelli prior to his off at the Parabolica, with the F2 racer lighting up the timing screens, Wolff added: “I think they were the quickest in the session of everyone’s first flying laps by far.

READ MORE: Wolff took ‘five minutes’ to choose Antonelli after Hamilton departure news as he shuts down future pursuit of Verstappen

“There are some good indications that he has a lot of talent and a lot of potential, and now it needs to be conditioned. When you invest in young drivers, these things happen.”

He signed off: “You need to be prepared to take that risk.”

Russell, meanwhile, leapt to Antonelli’s defence as he reflected on his own rise up the ranks and initial three-year stint at Williams before being promoted to Mercedes.

“When I look back to when I was 18 years old, there’s obviously so much to learn,” he said. “But I think, as a driver, you have the speed or you don’t have the speed, and I’m very confident Kimi has the speed.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘No one can ever replace Lewis’ – Antonelli on stepping into Hamilton’s shoes and his rapid rise to F1 stardom

“I think everybody on their journey is going to make mistakes, and that’s part of life and part of this sport. I’ve no doubt Kimi’s going to learn from [his FP1 at Monza].

“He’s definitely got the speed to help Mercedes get back to the front of the grid for next year onwards, and that’s exactly why he’s going to be in the car alongside me next year.”

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