Kimi Antonelli’s historic victory at Monza completed a remarkable Formula 1 circle, two years after one of the most difficult moments of his young career at the same circuit. Toto Wolff believes the Italian’s home triumph will retain a unique place in his story no matter how many more Grands Prix he eventually wins, while the Mercedes team principal was particularly impressed by the way Kimi Antonelli carved his way through traffic.
Two years can feel like an eternity in Formula 1, especially when they contain the development of a driver who entered the Formula 1 World Championship at a very young age, carrying enormous expectations and facing a paddock ready to highlight every mistake, setback and difficult day. Toto Wolff chose precisely that perspective when reflecting on Kimi Antonelli’s Monza victory, a result he believes will remain in a very special place even after the Italian’s career has accumulated many more chapters.
Kimi Antonelli comes full circle with historic Monza victory
The Mercedes team principal looked back to Friday at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, when Kimi Antonelli made his debut in an official Formula 1 session only for his FP1 appearance to end against the barriers at Parabolica. Two years later, at the same circuit, Kimi Antonelli experienced what Toto Wolff described as the most important moment of his career.
“It’s as if he has come full circle,” Toto Wolff explained. “Two years ago, in FP1, he probably experienced the most difficult moment of his career, for him and for his family. It was a moment when everyone had doubts, including himself. Two years later came the greatest glory, the most important moment of his career, and it will probably remain one of the most important in the future as well. Even if he were to win another 200 Grands Prix, this will always remain special.”
Toto Wolff had no hesitation in placing the victory among those he expects to remember for a very long time. The Mercedes team principal recalled several particularly significant successes from his own Formula 1 journey, from Pastor Maldonado’s victory in Barcelona in 2012, when Toto Wolff was on the Williams board, to Lewis Hamilton’s triumph in Singapore in 2018. Monza 2026 has now joined that personal gallery of memories, with Kimi Antonelli’s victory also producing a remarkable collection of historic Formula 1 records at Monza.
Toto Wolff explains what made Kimi Antonelli unstoppable at Monza
However, the emotional significance of the victory was not the aspect Toto Wolff emphasised most strongly. Kimi Antonelli had an extremely competitive car at his disposal, but in the Mercedes team principal’s view, the Italian added something of his own. The decisive difference came in traffic, during a recovery drive in which Kimi Antonelli never seemed to lose momentum.
“The decisive factor today was his ability to manage his comeback through traffic. We have seen other great drivers do it in the past; Lewis did it in some races. And that is what Kimi showed today. There was no way to stop him. When a driver and a car become one, then there is nothing that can stop them.”
Toto Wolff had already sensed something unusual on Saturday. After qualifying, he used a particularly striking expression, saying he had the feeling that Kimi Antonelli might be able to “walk on water”. It was more than simple optimism.
“For a while now, I’ve been observing drivers’ energy levels, their attitude, their mindset and certain behavioural patterns. I knew that today his mission would be to win the race. Yesterday I also spoke to his father, and he had the same feeling. There are moments when, watching how a weekend develops session after session, you can sense that something special might happen.”
Mercedes strategy changes put Antonelli’s tyre management to the test
The race subsequently presented Kimi Antonelli with several very different situations. Mercedes initially planned a one-stop strategy, with the opening stint to be completed on a set of hard tyres while hoping for a Safety Car that could reduce the time lost during the pit stop. The red flag changed the picture, however, putting Kimi Antonelli onto a set of medium tyres. Despite maintaining a very fast pace, the Italian managed that compound for 25 laps.
“In the morning, we came to the conclusion that the hard would last the entire race distance, that you could start and finish on that tyre. With George, we saw that its durability was indeed excellent, although obviously he paid something in terms of performance. Kimi, however, had to deal with managing the set of mediums, and he managed to complete a very long stint while maintaining consistent performance. That is certainly one of his qualities.”
Wolff resisted intervening as Antonelli and Russell battled
There were also delicate moments during the direct fight with George Russell. Toto Wolff admitted that he came close to intervening over the radio when the two Mercedes drivers were battling at close quarters, with Max Verstappen ready to capitalise on any problem between them.
“Sometimes we thought: they are racing fairly, but they are really very close. I had my finger on the button to speak to Marcus, Bono, Kimi and George, but I didn’t press it. I think it was right to show the racing spirit that exists within the team and allow them to fight.”
One incident will nevertheless be discussed internally. George Russell tried to avoid cutting the corner while Kimi Antonelli, having ended up on the dirty part of the circuit, ran into the gravel at the edge of the track.
“It could have turned into a disaster for the team’s result and we would have looked like idiots,” Toto Wolff admitted. “We will talk about it. It will be another piece of the puzzle in defining how we want to race in the future.”
The episode added another dimension to the increasingly important task of managing two highly competitive Mercedes drivers, a subject that had already attracted attention following the team’s strategic decisions involving Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Why Toto Wolff still does not consider Antonelli a complete F1 driver
The Monza victory has not convinced Toto Wolff that Kimi Antonelli’s development is complete. Asked whether the result represented definitive proof that Mercedes now has a fully formed driver on its hands, Toto Wolff urged caution.
“If I had to design the perfect driver, there would probably be a dozen essential components required to guarantee high performance over time. When we talk about a complete driver, Kimi still lacks experience. That has to come. We will have to see whether he is capable of maturing while remaining the person he is today: humble, introspective and very self-critical. Only the future will tell us whether he will become, like very few drivers before him, the complete package.”
What continues to surprise Toto Wolff most is the speed with which Kimi Antonelli absorbs each new experience. Twelve months ago, Monza had been a difficult stage of a season inevitably marked by highs and lows. The picture is now completely different.
“It’s incredible to see how quickly he is able to develop. For me, he is like an artificial intelligence agent that keeps improving itself and learning on its own. That is the speed at which he is growing. And his age certainly helps him, because of the cognitive and intellectual ability to keep getting better.”
Why Antonelli’s Monza win will always stand apart
Monza provided the clearest demonstration yet of Kimi Antonelli’s progress. It was not necessarily the definitive one, because Toto Wolff knows that the Italian’s development could still have a long way to go. But one thing is already certain: whatever comes next, the afternoon on which Kimi Antonelli won in front of his home crowd will always occupy a place of its own.
Even if, as Toto Wolff suggested, “another 200 victories really do come”.
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