Mercedes is trying everything in its capacity to secure a super license for Kimi Antonelli before the start of the 2025 season. Toto Wolff has also admitted he believes the Italian prodigy will lead the team to its future glory. This is a concerning statement for the team’s already established and future leader George Russell. However, in a conversation on the Red Flags podcast, Guenther Steiner claimed these are just empty words.
The Mercedes boss has incessantly talked about Antonelli and how good he is ahead of his eventual F1 debut. A few reports even claimed the 17-year-old was as fast as Russell and even Mick Schumacher on long runs during his test in Italy. However, these statements and claims are all empty words until the youngster can prove himself on the track among the big boys of F1.
“Kimi still has to prove that he can do it because it’s not as easy just because Toto says he’s the next biggest thing in a Formula One. It doesn’t mean he is. He still has to prove that one.” , said Steiner.
F1 still has a lot of meritocracy and no amount of talk can translate to actual respect which Antonelli can only earn on the track with his performance. So, until the Italian prodigy can prove himself, it’s all hearsay.
This hearsay can put a lot of pressure on the young shoulders which he might succumb to. However, this is not a thought in Toto Wolff‘s mind, as he is not shying away from singing his praises.
Toto Wolff can’t help but talk about how good Kimi Antonelli is
Because of the interconnectivity in the world of motorsport and growing interest in feeder series from F1 entities, no driver who is worth talking about goes under the radar. In fact, the ones who are exceptional become part of regular F1 chatter.
Oscar Piastri has experienced this and now even Kimi Antonelli is. So, despite the suggestion of the 17-year-old getting too much hype and being put under pressure, the Mercedes CEO cannot help but discuss the Italian prodigy.
As quoted by RacingNews365, Wolff said, “We are hyping the young man for a long time now. He will be a very good and a great driver one day in Formula 1, but he is 17. 14 months ago, he drove an F4 car and there’s so much expectations in Italy and we [are also] a little bit guilty also about talking about him at that stage.”
It’s all moving too fast for the young F2 driver. However, that’s how things move in the world of F1. With history as proof, if a driver has the talent, no matter when or at what age they join the sport, they achieve great things. It seems Mercedes expects the same out of Kimi Antonelli.
