In an interview with our colleagues from Motorsport.com, Toto Wolff spoke again about the first appearance of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1. As a reminder, the native of Bologna was made official for the 2025 season alongside George Russell. In 2019, the Mercedes junior sector took an interest in this young talent before taking him under its wing and developing him in the lower categories. Impressed by his results on the track, the main team of the Flèches d’Argent did not hesitate for a single second to start him after the departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, announced last February. As a precursor to the Italian’s signing, the German manufacturer wanted to please its son by offering him a free practice session, on the Monza track, in front of the Tifosi.
An error?
After the race management waved the green flag to announce the start of the official session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli set off with soft tires on his car. Unfortunately, the Italian ended his session in the gravel trap, in the parabolic bend, after his first attack lap. Following this incident, Brackley’s team questioned the pressure put on their colt in front of their home crowd. Toto Wolff admitted not having taken into account all the factors.
“I wouldn’t say it was a mistake, but I think we weren’t completely fair in assessing the pressures he might be under. We discussed how to approach the session, he was brilliant in practice. He never made the slightest mistake during the thousands of kilometers he traveled. But it’s a different story if you’re an Italian driver, you’re 18 at Monza and it’s your first opportunity. Maybe if we had considered that as a risk factor based on all the data we had on him, it probably would have been wise to give him an FP1 that would have been in a different country than Italy. I knew it was going to hurt him, it was going to hurt him emotionally. He was so fast, and it was his first session in Italy, about to be announced as a driver, which everyone had anticipated.”
Also read:
Join Auto-Moto on WhatsApp so you don’t miss any car and 2-wheel news!
Featured Podcasts
MEN LIFE
In Brief
For the first time in his career, Andrea Kimi Antonelli took his first laps in the Mercedes during free practice 1, on the Monza track. Unfortunately, the Italian did not finish his session after a crash in the parabolic. Boss Toto Wolff reconsidered this choice.
