Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has praised Andrea Kimi Antonelli for standing his ground “amongst the Formula 1 cannibals” as he reflected on the Italian’s debut season.
Antonelli finished seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 150 points, after a maiden campaign full of highs and lows.
Early-season performances saw him given high praise, but a mid-season slump proved to be a prolonged low point, leaving much of the European races without any points.
But towards the end of the season, Antonelli excelled with two podiums – to follow his first in Canada – in Brazil and Las Vegas, peaking with second place in Sao Paulo.
Some disputed Antonelli’s place in F1, including outgoing Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who questioned the level of expectation placed upon him at such a top team.
But after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Wolff told media including Motorsport Week that he felt Antonelli did well to stand up to the challenge at such a tender age.
“Like I said before we started the season, we would see moments of brilliance that show his talent and moments where we are going to tear our hair out,” the Mercedes boss said.
“And these days are going to be the ones that he learns the most, and we had that. We had ups, we had downs, certainly lots of learning.
“But you need to remind yourself from days like today or so that Kimi is 19 years old. That’s been the first time that he was thrown among the Formula 1 cannibals. I think he stood his ground. And certainly with high expectations for him in the future.”
Antonelli keen to ‘come back much stronger’ after mammoth F1 debut campaign
Antonelli was 18 when the season started, and had never previously driven a season with as many races as the mammoth 24-date F1 calendar.
But, despite his mid-season struggles, Antonelli managed to finish within 10 points of Mercedes predecessor Lewis Hamilton in the final classification.
Speaking after the race, Antonelli admitted he was exhausted after such a long campaign, and spoke of his determination to come back better in 2026.
“Definitely, I’m pretty tired,” he told media including Motorsport Week when asked to reflect on his season.
“Also, this weekend I didn’t feel the best physically and health-wise, so I’m looking forward to some rest.
“Obviously, first season done and now we’ve got a month to reflect on the whole season and come back much stronger.”
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