F1, Toto Wolff admits mistake with Kimi Antonelli but confirms Mercedes trust – Dutch GP. Toto Wolff admitted that Mercedes may have put Andrea Kimi Antonelli under too much pressure.

F1 | Toto Wolff admits a big mistake made with Antonelli – Dutch GP

Toto Wolff once again spoke about the challenges faced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. The Mercedes team principal admitted: «Yes, we put him under pressure, but we believe in him for the long term».

During the Dutch Grand Prix press conference, Wolff was asked about Antonelli’s situation in Formula 1, responding to comments from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who had pointed out that too much pressure was being placed on the young Italian talent, immediately thrown into F1 with Mercedes.

The Mercedes boss acknowledged that the path chosen for Antonelli was not the easiest one: «I think we put Kimi under maximum pressure. To be honest, at the time I thought it was a great idea to put him in FP1 at Monza and introduce him there».

He then added: «Maybe it was a mistake, not because he wasn’t capable of driving the car. On the contrary, if he had finished that lap without the incident, it would have been sensational and given him a lot of confidence. But he was in a Mercedes, with all eyes on him, and his results became very visible».

Antonelli, Mercedes’ mission and Wolff’s trust continue

Despite the initial difficulties, Wolff firmly reiterated the team’s confidence in Antonelli. «Kimi feels like he is under the magnifying glass, also because his teammate is getting the maximum out of the car. But we continue to believe in him. He needs time. We have taken this path and remain convinced: a single weekend or one negative session will not change our opinion. Of course, in the short term we can say it is not positive, but Antonelli is a long-term investment».

With these words, Wolff made Mercedes’ philosophy clear. Antonelli will not be judged based on isolated mistakes or a single performance, but as part of a long-term growth project. The team principal stressed that the young driver from Bologna still needs to find the right confidence with Formula 1, but that the path chosen for him will not be questioned.

The future of Andrea Kimi Antonelli therefore remains firmly linked to Mercedes, with the certainty that the team is ready to support his development, even at the cost of accepting the inevitable highs and lows that come with making a debut in Formula 1 at just 18 years of age.