Wolff Expresses Regret Over Antonelli’s Challenging Monza F1 Debut for Mercedes

Toto Wolff expresses remorse regarding Kimi Antonelli's initial Formula 1 appearance at Monza for Mercedes.

"However, the scenario changes when you are an 18-year-old Italian driver, making your debut in Monza, and it's your first chance…"

Toto Wolff has implied that looking back, Andrea Kimi Antonelli's initial appearance for Mercedes might have been better off not being at Monza, his home track.

Last month, during the Italian Grand Prix's first practice session (FP1), Antonelli took over the Mercedes usually driven by George Russell.

At 18 years of age, he is set to join Mercedes on a full-time basis in 2025, stepping into the role currently held by Lewis Hamilton. Therefore, the FP1 session presented an opportunity to witness his capabilities in an official F1 setting for the first time.

Initially, Antonelli demonstrated remarkable speed, but he soon encountered obstacles early in the session, having an accident at Parabolica.

In a conversation with Autosport, Wolff shared his thoughts on Antonelli's debut performance.

"Wolff stated, "It's not that it was an error, but rather, our judgment regarding the challenges he might face was not entirely accurate. The reason for this is that we discussed it and strategized on how to handle the session.

"His performance in testing has been outstanding. Throughout the vast distances he's covered, he hasn't made a single mistake."

"However, the situation changes entirely if you're a young 18-year-old Italian driver experiencing your first chance at Monza."

"Perhaps if we had acknowledged that as a potential risk in light of the information we had about him, it might have been prudent to assign him an FP1 situated in a time zone entirely different from Italy's. However, he will gain significant insights from this experience."

Subsequent reports highlighted that Antonelli demonstrated exceptional velocity prior to his crash.

Despite the accident, Wolff supported Antonelli's strategy.

"Wolff expressed concern, believing it was embarrassing for him."

"He moved swiftly, marking his initial session in Italy, on the verge of being introduced as a driver, a development that was widely anticipated by everyone."

"I appreciate his strategy. He shows remarkable speed right off the bat after leaving the pit stop, which he has proven. Naturally, I would have preferred to see him at the top of the standings, but that opportunity was lost when the car took flight – and those kinds of speeds were only reached by others as the weekend progressed.

Clearly, his speed exceeded what was suitable for the track's condition and the car's state at that moment, indicating a need to find a balance between his drive, determination, and ability on one hand, and the understanding that the first practice session is just that, the first practice session, on the other.

"I was aware that it would cause him emotional pain."

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