Toto Wolff has highlighted that Mercedes’ “inconsistent” car is making it tougher for rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli to adapt, describing the challenges as part of his learning curve in Formula 1.
The Italian earned a seat at the German squad for 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s departure, after the now-Ferrari driver spent 12 years with the Silver Arrows, securing six World Championships.
Tasked with filling enormous shoes, the rookie started strongly, finishing fourth on his debut in Melbourne and taking multiple sixth-place finishes across the opening rounds.
However, trouble began with a revised rear suspension at Imola, marking a difficult start to the European leg and his home Grand Prix, where a mechanical failure led to a DNF.
Monaco proved frustrating with poor qualifying, followed by more reliability issues in Spain. Although the suspension update was reinstated in Montreal, Antonelli claimed his first F1 podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.
That high was short-lived, however, as back-to-back retirements in Austria and Silverstone — both from crashes — were followed by poor qualifying performances in Belgium and Hungary, leaving him with just a solitary point collected from the four races.
Yet Mercedes boss Wolff believes that his lack of form is not down to the driver, and stems from the W16’s problems.
“Kimi is a huge talent: he’s fast, he’s intelligent,” he told Gazetta dello Sport. “I said it right from the start: he’ll make mistakes, we know that, and we wouldn’t have taken him on if we weren’t aware of that,” Wolff continued.
“Unfortunately, we have an inconsistent car, which makes it more difficult for him to adapt. But going through these difficulties is also part of the process of becoming a champion.”
Wolff stresses rookie growth as Antonelli navigates F1 learning curve
Despite the challenging start to his rookie campaign, Wolff emphasised that Antonelli’s experience is part of a natural development process within the team.
“I think it’s a learning experience for all of us,” he added. “We’ve never had such a young driver on the team, and in general, F1 has never had an 18-year-old in a top team.
“We’re all trying to work together, including his family, to create an environment that will allow Kimi to give his best on the track.”
One-lap pace remains a challenge for Antonelli, something he explained to Auto Mundo und Sport.
“I’m still struggling to understand how much the car can deliver over a qualifying lap,” he said. “You’re so close to the limit that it’s very easy to go a little over it. I’m still trying to find that fine line.”
“The grip is extremely high in qualifying,” he added. “You go into the corners so much faster than in the race. And on every lap, you think: ‘I can go even faster through this corner.’ I’m not yet at the point where I’m at the absolute limit on the first lap.”
The four-week summer break should have provided the youngster with valuable time to recharge and tackle the second half of the season.
But Antonelli’s hopes of matching team-mate George Russell will remain on hold until he can better understand the car’s limits.
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