“Now we have to finish the job.” Those were Toto Wolff’s parting words to journalists at Monza after witnessing Kimi Antonelli’s extraordinary victory in the Italian Grand Prix. It sounded almost like a coronation for a young driver who, at the same circuit in 2023, made a mistake during one of his very first Formula 1 practice appearances and has now won over the Italian crowd on a weekend when Ferrari lacked the pace to challenge at the front.
Two years after that difficult debut, Kimi Antonelli transformed Monza into the scene of one of the defining performances of his career. Starting 19th, the Mercedes driver charged through the field to win the Italian Grand Prix, defeating team-mate George Russell, who had started second. The extraordinary comeback also produced a series of Formula 1 records for Kimi Antonelli and made him the first Italian winner of his home Grand Prix in 60 years.
For Toto Wolff, the victory completed a circle that had begun at the same circuit. It was a particularly powerful contrast with Kimi Antonelli’s first Formula 1 practice appearance at Monza, an episode the Mercedes team principal had already described as central to understanding why the 2026 Monza victory means so much.
“There are some great victories that I will remember and this is definitely one of them,” Toto Wolff said. “It’s as if the circle has closed. Two years ago in FP1, it was probably the most difficult moment of his career for him and his family. A moment when everyone had doubts, including himself. And then, two years later, it is the greatest glory, the most important moment of his career.”
Toto Wolff added: “This will probably be one of his greatest moments ever in the future, even if he were to win another 200 Grands Prix. This will always remain special.”
Toto Wolff knew Kimi Antonelli could win at Monza
Toto Wolff had sensed before the race that Kimi Antonelli might be capable of something extraordinary.
“I thought one of the two would win: either George because he was on pole, or Kimi because he would walk on water,” Toto Wolff said, using a metaphor that summed up the level of confidence he had in the young Italian.
“It had been a while since I had seen that kind of energy level, mentality or behaviour in a driver, and I knew that today his mission was this: to win the race.”
Toto Wolff also revealed that he had spoken to Kimi Antonelli’s father, Marco Antonelli, on Saturday as the weekend progressively began to take on a special feeling.
“There are moments when you can see how the weekend develops through the different sessions and understand that a special moment could be coming.”
That moment arrived in the race. Kimi Antonelli made an explosive start, passed a succession of rivals and worked his way into contention for victory. Once he reached the front, he had to manage a complicated duel with George Russell, as well as a race shaped by the constant strategic use of battery deployment and tyre management.
Antonelli’s racecraft in traffic makes the difference
According to Toto Wolff, Kimi Antonelli’s ability to work his way through traffic was one of the decisive aspects of his performance. The Mercedes driver had started near the back because of his power-unit penalty, meaning his path to victory depended on efficiently clearing cars without sacrificing too much time.
“The element that made the difference today was his ability to navigate through traffic. We have seen other great drivers do it in the past, like Lewis in some races, and that is what he showed today.”
Tyre management was another area in which Toto Wolff saw evidence of Kimi Antonelli’s growing maturity.
“Kimi was able to extract, I don’t know how many it was, 35 or 40 laps from that tyre in a consistent way. That is definitely skill.”
The result was particularly significant in the wider championship picture. Kimi Antonelli had arrived at Monza facing what appeared likely to be a damage-limitation weekend because of his grid penalty, only to turn 19th place into victory and strengthen his position in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
Toto Wolff compares Kimi Antonelli’s development to artificial intelligence
The Monza victory was also the product of a development curve that, according to Toto Wolff, has progressed at an extraordinary rate. Kimi Antonelli had already been capable of producing exceptional peaks of performance, but his first Formula 1 season also contained some extremely difficult periods.
“Last year went according to plan, with performances that were already extraordinary but not consistent,” Toto Wolff explained. “And then he had that negative run of nine races without scoring points. Remember that Spa was terrible for him as well. And he was feeling down.”
It was at Monza that Toto Wolff felt the moment had arrived to give his young driver a more forceful message.
“That was the moment when, for the first time, I told him: ‘Listen, you need to wake up here.’ But without ever doubting him. That is why we gave him this opportunity.”
Kimi Antonelli responded like a driver capable of learning rapidly from his mistakes. After the winter, the Bologna-born driver returned to the track with a level of maturity and speed that surprised even Mercedes.
“The way he processed last year… it is still a surprise and something extraordinary to see how quickly he develops,” Toto Wolff said.
The Austrian Mercedes boss then produced perhaps his most striking comparison.
“For me, he is like an artificial intelligence agent that continually improves itself and learns.”
Toto Wolff believes Kimi Antonelli’s youth also contributes to that extraordinary learning curve.
“His age is definitely an advantage: the cognitive and intellectual ability to constantly improve.”
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli came close to Mercedes disaster
Mercedes also had to manage an especially delicate situation at Monza, with two drivers from the same team fighting for victory. Kimi Antonelli was desperate to complete his comeback in front of his home crowd, while George Russell was equally determined to defend his position at the front.
Managing that rivalry has already become an increasingly important theme for Mercedes this season. The team faced another difficult decision at Zandvoort, where its strategy prioritised Kimi Antonelli’s late attack over George Russell.
Toto Wolff explained that Mercedes had attempted to anticipate every possible Monza scenario, but praised both drivers for showing maturity when it came to respecting the team element of their battle.
“They were fantastic in understanding and accepting the team component, which is difficult for a driver trying to win Grands Prix,” Toto Wolff explained. “Especially for Kimi at Monza, especially for George who needs to keep scoring points to stay in the fight.”
The battle nevertheless came very close to the limit.
“Sometimes we thought: ‘Yes, it’s fair, but it’s a little too close’,” Toto Wolff admitted, revealing that he was prepared to intervene over the radio. “I had my finger ready on the button to speak to Marcus, Bono, Kimi, George, but I didn’t press it.”
Wolff admits Mercedes could have ‘looked like idiots’
The most delicate moment came late in the race when George Russell attempted to defend at the first chicane and Kimi Antonelli also ended up away from the racing line on the dirty part of the circuit. The incident could easily have transformed a triumphant afternoon into a disastrous result for Mercedes.
“It was an unfortunate incident, with George trying not to cut the corner and Kimi, being on the limit, going straight on,” Toto Wolff explained. “It could have ended in a disaster for the race result, making us look like idiots.”
Instead of simply dismissing the scare after the race, Toto Wolff intends to use it to establish clearer principles for how the two Mercedes drivers should fight in future.
“We will talk about that situation as another piece of the puzzle in terms of how we want to race in the future.”
The increasingly delicate George Russell-Kimi Antonelli dynamic could become even more important as the season progresses, particularly with both drivers’ results contributing to Mercedes’ Constructors’ Championship campaign.
Kimi Antonelli’s historic Monza win may mark a career turning point
For now, however, the moment belongs entirely to Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver became the first Italian to win the Italian Grand Prix in 60 years, having recovered from 19th on the grid and beaten his own team-mate on an afternoon that could represent a major turning point in his Formula 1 career.
Toto Wolff’s final message made clear that Mercedes does not see Monza as the destination. For all the significance of Kimi Antonelli’s home victory and the extraordinary speed of his development, the team believes there is still more to achieve: “Now we have to finish the job.”
Leave a Reply