F1 | Toto Wolff defends Kimi Antonelli after clash with Charles Leclerc and confirms Mercedes trust in the Italian. Toto Wolff defended Kimi Antonelli after his crash with Charles Leclerc at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Antonelli – Leclerc contact, Toto Wolff forgives Kimi and reveals Mercedes plans for the Italian’s future

The Dutch Grand Prix weekend ended in the worst possible way for Kimi Antonelli, yet Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff chose to forgive his young driver. The Italian was involved in an incident that forced Charles Leclerc to retire and earned Antonelli a penalty, but despite the setback, the team continues to believe strongly in his talent and is determined to invest in his future.

Up until the contact with Charles Leclerc, Kimi was putting together an excellent race. After starting from twelfth on the grid, he managed to climb through the field and even overtook his teammate, who was struggling with car damage. The Mercedes number 12 showed some of the best pace on track in clean air, but when Antonelli attempted the undercut on Leclerc, the move ended with a collision at Turn 3.

A forgivable mistake

In his post-race media interviews, including one with GP-News.net, Toto Wolff addressed questions about Kimi Antonelli’s situation. The Mercedes boss reiterated his confidence in the driver he has backed from the very start, underlining that the team’s approach remains to nurture and support the young Italian. Wolff’s words reflected Mercedes’ management of a homegrown talent who is still at the beginning of his Formula 1 journey.

“When we gave him the opportunity last year at Monza, it was always understood that we would give him a year to learn. There were always going to be moments where we would pull our hair out and others that were brilliant. I think this weekend sums that up,” said Wolff. He highlighted the contrasting moments in particular: “The mistake in FP1 sets you back for the whole weekend. Then in the race there were phases of excellent driving.”

The Austrian team principal considered the race-ending crash a mistake that can be forgiven: “He was involved in that incident which unfortunately meant the end of the race for both Charles and Kimi. But we want him to try overtakes. Every one of these days will be a lesson for next year. We’re not fighting for the Constructors’ title. Of course second or third place is at stake, but next year is when scoring points really matters.”

Mercedes hints on the future

Mercedes has not yet officially announced its driver line-up for the future, but Toto Wolff gave clear indications that there will be continuity. He confirmed that the team intends to keep the current pair of drivers at least until 2026. “We will obviously continue with both drivers,” Toto Wolff said.

Speaking about Kimi Antonelli, he added: “We want a driver who has the speed, who learns and who delivers points. Even the greats make mistakes. He will make mistakes too, but hopefully fewer next year while scoring more points. My trust in him for the long term is 100%.”