Wolff explains how Antonelli keeps building after ‘so many doubters’ in rookie year as he addresses Russell’s issues

Toto Wolff has shared an insight into how Kimi Antonelli is driving with the confidence that saw him claim pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, with the Mercedes boss admitting that there were “so many doubters” during the youngster’s rookie season.

After making the step up to Formula 1 with the Silver Arrows in 2025, Antonelli experienced mixed fortunes during his first campaign, having made a good start before a tough spell across the European leg followed.

However, the Italian ended the season on a better note and has since gone from strength to strength in his sophomore outing, becoming the sport’s youngest-ever championship leader with a current margin of 43 points over team mate George Russell.

Speaking to F1 TV after Antonelli surged to pole in Monaco Qualifying, Wolff was quizzed on how the teenager seems able to approach his racing with a high level of confidence.

“I think from that perspective, the young age is maybe easier,” Wolff answered. “You don’t think a lot about it. He has not a lot to lose – he never expected himself to be in this position, that he’s leading a championship.

“Like he said, 'I don’t know how it is, I’ve got nothing to lose’. I think it’s trusting his instinct, letting it fly, and the tough learnings from last year with the mistakes that happened, a spell of nine races without a point, and that all keeps building.”

The Team Principal went on to reflect on how Antonelli had learned from the difficult times in 2025, adding: “I think when you need to learn to be resilient and go through the bad spells, alone with the support of your team and family, and you come out of it, it makes you much stronger.

“We had so many doubters last year after those bad races saying we shouldn’t have put him in the Mercedes. I think that some of our competitor teams would have taken him out and either put him in a junior team or in a satellite team.

“We kind of stuck to the project and said year one is going to have highlights, moments of brilliance and then moments where it’s going to be very difficult, but we stick to the plan. We gave him the necessary pressure but also a bit of an easiness about things, so maybe that’s the reason why we have this moment now.”

In another chat with Sky Sports F1, Wolff detailed how Antonelli “built it up” in Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, gaining momentum after a “solid” Q1.

The session was not so straightforward, however, for Russell, who wound up in sixth and admitted later on that he was confused by his current issues.

Addressing whether it is the case that one driver has momentum while the other is struggling, Wolff said: “We tend to look a lot on the psychological side, but George is very robust and resilient. There were a few races that went against him because luck wasn’t on his side, or he wasn’t there at the right moment.

“Here, I don’t think it is so much on the psychological side – he just never had the confidence in the car. Qualifying started on the back foot – FP3 was still very okay. Once you start to run behind the performance and you lose the confidence, it’s super difficult to catch up again.

“I think if it had been one session more, he would have been there or thereabouts. He didn’t have any grip, and [in] Monaco no grip means you can’t push it.”

Finally, looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Wolff acknowledged that Antonelli may have to get his elbows out when it comes to defending against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – who he shares the front row with – at the start.

“I hope we get it right with the clutch tomorrow, and Kimi needs to make himself wide like a tourist bus around Monaco!” the Austrian smiled. “Because if you lose the start or you’re not there, it’s going to be really difficult.”