Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has admitted Andrea Kimi Antonelli‘s stellar start to the 2026 Formula 1 season “scares me”.
The 19-year-old has made a sensational start to his sophomore year in F1.
Four rounds in, Antonelli is already almost a Grand Prix win clear of his team-mate George Russell in the drivers’ championship with a 20 point lead.
What’s more, the last three races have seen him convert his first three pole positions into race wins consecutively – an achievement unparalleled in the history of the sport.
The Italian racing driver’s sharp consistency at the very front of the grid has caught many eyes, but Wolff believes that such early success might come with a heavy price to pay for the teenager.
“Kimi is doing an exceptional job at the start of this season,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It’s only his second year in F1, and he’s won three races in a row. He deserves all the recognition he’s receiving, but at the same time, we need to maintain a sense of proportion.
“F1 is based on consistency, not just on individual moments of success, and Kimi needs the space to grow and write his own story without too much pressure.”
Kimi Antonelli’s bulletproof performances in F1 scare Toto Wolff
While luck has favored the Italian en route to his victories so far, once in the lead, Antonelli has seemed impenetrable. That said, even the mightiest of drivers have had their moments of weakness on track.
Wolff admits he is scared for when Antonelli makes his first mistake, or rather, the scale of the fallout he predicts that will ensue.
“That’s exactly what scares me,” Wolff explained.
“Kimi is young, he’s charismatic, a little big star… but after a great start, he could have some bad moments, and I don’t want the public to start saying, ‘Oh, what’s happening? We were wrong about him?’
“It will all be part of the growth process we, as a team, are ready for, but the response from the public, especially in Italy, scares us a little.
“We all want Kimi to become one of the greats of F1, but it’s only the beginning, and we have to treat him like a rough diamond. The media, the fans, and even us at the team have to make this effort.”
Next up is Montreal, however, and Antonelli would rest easy knowing he has a good record at the track – having scored his maiden F1 podium in Canada, last season.
READ MORE – Why Kimi Antonelli is threatening George Russell as Mercedes F1 team leader
Discussion about this post