Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff stated he would have struggled with the demands faced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli at age 19, candidly admitting his own immaturity during that period.
This season, Antonelli, at 18, made his debut as the third-youngest driver in Formula 1 history, a testament to his remarkable skill in junior categories, having secured four championships across Formula 4 and Formula Regional. He also marked the first instance of a new driver joining a premier team since Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and Heikki Kovalainen at Renault in 2007.
Antonelli previously displayed vulnerability to pressure during a home event at Monza last year, where he crashed during his initial flying lap in FP1, and again faced difficulties managing high expectations in 2025, with extensive online criticism exacerbating his challenges.
Despite these challenges, senior Mercedes personnel have expressed admiration for the young Italian’s remarkably professional demeanor given his age.
Hywel Thomas, the managing director of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains, characterized Antonelli’s debut season as “almost a game of three thirds” during an interview on the Beyond The Grid podcast, following the rookie’s seventh-place finish in the 2025 drivers’ championship.
“He joined the squad, and in his initial races, it was astounding to witness someone with so little background performing at such a high level,” Thomas remarked. “Subsequently, he experienced a dip in form, and his performance wavered. However, he has since made a remarkably strong comeback, which is genuinely commendable.
“Considering his youth, he’s handling everything exceptionally well. He possesses significant intellect and interacts with others very effectively; he’s incredibly mature. I have children his age, and frankly, they don’t exhibit that level of maturity – they might not appreciate hearing it, but it’s true.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Wolff agreed, adding: “The challenge is that in our discussions with Kimi, we maintain a complete honesty, addressing both positives and negatives. Then you have to recall that you’re not engaging with a grown-up; Kimi is still very much a young person.
“You constantly have to remember he’s only 19. While he’s a professional behind the wheel, having been involved in karting and racing his entire life, we are asking for an almost impossibly rapid acceleration in his personal development. He has been thrust into this environment, and reflecting on his less successful races, it’s evident how overwhelming the sheer volume of attention and media scrutiny—which alternately praises and criticizes him—can be.
“He’s managing despite having a remarkably fast and seasoned teammate in George Russell. This, I believe, underscores his significant future promise, because as Hywel mentioned, at 19, I was somewhat foolish. I simply couldn’t have handled the demands he’s facing. Consequently, I sometimes find myself being overly stern with him, needing to pause and remind myself, ‘Wait a moment, he’s just a young man.’ This has been a valuable lesson for us as well.”
