Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confessed that Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Formula 1 learning curve would differ from that of Max Verstappen’s, after his error in the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Italian has endured a tricky second half of his maiden F1 season, scoring only one point in the European leg of the season.
An impressive beginning to his debut year culminated in Canada with his first podium, but in the races since, the 19-year-old’s form has suffered.
Antonelli drew criticism at last week’s race at Zandvoort for his manoeuvre that took Charles Leclerc out of the race, earning him a 10-second time penalty.
Looking to overtake the Ferrari driver upon his return from the pits, Antonelli dived down the inside into Turn 3, but misjudged the move and punted the Monegasque into the wall.
The incident was offset by comments made in the summer break from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko that intimated driving for such a notable team was causing too much pressure.
Marko theorised that Verstappen, who began his F1 career with Red Bull’s junior squad Toro Rosso, was afforded such a luxury that took some of the spotlight off of him.
Speaking after the race at, Wolff admitted that going straight into a top team has caused Antonelli to fluff his lines on occasion, but backed him as a long-term prospect.
“No, we want to have a driver that has speed, that is fast, that learns, that scores the points, but all the big ones make mistakes,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s difficult to compare now because Max was given a different environment in Toro Rosso at the beginning, but there were also some moments where you said there was a big mistake.
“And Kimi, 18 years old, thrown in this mammoth of a team, representing Mercedes, he’s going to make mistakes.
“Hopefully less mistakes next year and score bigger points, but my 100% belief is in him in the long-term and that is just part of the learning.”
Wolff admits to Antonelli ‘mistake’ at last year’s Italian GP
Antonelli made his first F1 outing at last year’s FP1 session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The move backfired, as Antonelli crashed at the final corner early in the session, curtailing his watershed career moment.
In Friday’s Team Principal press conference before the Dutch GP, Wolff, when asked by Motorsport Week to respond to Marko’s comments, admitted that decision was perhaps a “mistake”.
“I think we have put Kimi under maximum pressure, to be honest,” he said. “Looking at it now, I felt it was a great idea to have him in FP1 in Monza [last season] and present him there.
“That was maybe a mistake – not because he wasn’t capable of driving the car, because if he would have finished that lap without crashing, it would have been sensational and it would have built the confidence. That’s why.
“He’s in a Mercedes, he’s very visible, his results are very visible, his team-mate is great and is maximising the car. Therefore, he feels himself under the magnifying glass.”
But Wolff again stressed that the team is firmly behind Antonelli and delivered another reminder that he needs time to learn some of the finer points of F1 he is yet to learn.
“The team – we just continue to believe in him. He needs time,” he said. We’ve embarked on this route, so you can say, ‘was it right to put him under so much pressure by putting him in the team?’
“We’ve taken that trajectory; we’ve taken that route. We are fully on the mission, and single race weekends or a session like we had before is not going to change our opinion.
“Yeah, short term, we’re going to say, “that’s not good,” but Kimi is a long-term investment.”
READ MORE – Kimi Antonelli responds to Helmut Marko’s Mercedes jibe over rookie F1 struggles
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