Toto Wolff sent a message to Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s doubters after the teenager took his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Italian controlled proceedings at the Shanghai International Circuit with a superb performance, overcoming the early threat from Ferrari and the scare of a Safety Car to secure his maiden F1 triumph.
It was a watershed moment for Antonelli and for the Silver Arrows, who faced much criticism throughout 2025 for hiring him in the first place, when he struggled with a points drought midway through the season.
And that history was not lost on Wolff, who congratulated Antonelli with an accompanying pointed remark at his driver’s detractors, including former Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko, who had suggested Antonelli would have benefitted from racing in a lesser team first.
“‘He’s too young.’ ‘We shouldn’t put him in a Mercedes.’ ‘Put him in a smaller team.’ ‘He needs the experience.’ ‘Look at the mistakes he makes,'” the Austrian quipped.
“Here we go Kimi. Victory.”
This is what it means 👏🤗#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/4ZGwYWumRG
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026
READ MORE – Kimi Antonelli comes of age to score maiden F1 win with Shanghai masterclass
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