F1 | Toto Wolff addresses Kimi Antonelli’s challenges with the Mercedes W16 car. Toto Wolff explains Kimi Antonelli’s struggles in 2025, attributing them mainly to Mercedes’ inconsistent car.

With the summer break marking the end of a challenging period for Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has pointed out that the young Italian’s difficulties are largely related to the car itself. Antonelli started the 2025 Formula 1 season strongly, managing to stay reasonably close to George Russell in certain circumstances. The high points of his season so far include securing pole position in the Miami Sprint race and achieving a podium finish in Canada.

Kimi Antonelli entered the European races, beginning with his home Grand Prix at Imola, with high expectations. Having raced on several of these circuits before should have been an advantage. However, paradoxically, his best results came on two tracks completely new to him. It seems that a flaw in the Mercedes car has been at the root of his struggles, which has also penalized the team, resulting in the loss of second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings.

Toto Wolff’s admission
According to Toto Wolff, the main cause of Kimi Antonelli’s difficulties is the Mercedes car itself. During the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, the team reverted to an earlier rear suspension setup in an attempt to regain the stability that characterized the first part of the season.

“Kimi is a great talent,” the Team Principal stated. “He is very fast and intelligent, but he is still very young. As I said from the start: he will make mistakes, we know that, but we wouldn’t have signed him if we hadn’t accepted that.” This clearly shows the team’s full confidence in the young Italian driver.

“Unfortunately, our car is not very consistent, and this makes things harder for him. Facing these difficulties is also part of the process of becoming a champion.”

Kimi Antonelli has a great opportunity to learn everything he needs to arrive fully prepared for the next season. Mercedes looks to be in a strong position for 2026, and the young talent will undoubtedly be more experienced compared to his rookie year. His speed is not in question; what remains necessary is to regain the right confidence and continue his learning curve.