“Delusional” Toto Wolff Is Pushing a Kimi Antonelli-Max Verstappen Agenda that Fans Refuse to Buy

The FIA’s latest announcement revealed that Kimi Antonelli, who is currently 17 years old, can get a superlicense for himself before his 18th birthday. This will allow him to be a part of the F1 grid, something Toto Wolff has been openly desiring for months. But the community, instead of appreciating this exemption, is giving the FIA stick for bending the rules to favor Mercedes.

Wolff lost out on Max Verstappen as a youngster in 2014 when the Dutchman decided to sign for Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso, instead. Wolff waited too long and wanted Verstappen to develop outside of F1 whereas Red Bull put him in a seat straight away.

Since then, the Austrian has been on a mission to find his own ‘Max Verstappen’, and Antonelli’s reputation of being one of the brightest racing talents has made him the Mercedes team principal’s prime target.

Fans, however, refuse to buy this. On X, the 52-year-old was being labeled as “delusional“. To many, Verstappen is a generational talent, whose abilities cannot be replicated by Wolff’s obsession with making Antonelli the next best thing.

On the other hand, some sympathize with Antonelli, who is just 17 years old (turns 18 in August). Moreover, the Italian has still not even stood on an F2 podium, and yet, he is being compared to a three-time World Champion like Verstappen. These expectations could make Antonelli crumble, which is something neither he nor Wolff will want.

FIA blasted for bending rules in favor of Toto Wolff and Mercedes

2024 has been a difficult year for Wolff. At the start, Lewis Hamilton revealed he would leave the Silver Arrows for Ferrari next season.

This means Wolff has to cater to the difficult job of finding a competent replacement for the seven-time World Champion. Despite previous links with Carlos Sainz and Verstappen too, Hamilton’s replacement yet remains a mystery.

Antonelli has been widely tipped to make his entry into F1 next season, either with Mercedes or with a team that will help him develop before the Brackley-based team comes knocking. For this, the FIA had to bend some rules and the F1 community was shocked.

Furthermore, Antonelli is turning 18 in two months, after which he would automatically be eligible for an FIA super license. Still, Mercedes and the FIA couldn’t wait. This seems to have upset the community even further.