Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes lost two sponsors after deciding to replace Lewis Hamilton with Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 Formula 1 season. The decision to put an 18-year-old rookie in the seat vacated by the seven-time world champion raised doubts among commercial partners, but Antonelli has now rewarded Mercedes’ faith by winning the 2026 F1 Drivers’ World Championship.
The 20-year-old from Bologna ended Italy’s 73-year wait for another Formula 1 world champion at the Mexico City Grand Prix, securing a title that had eluded Italian drivers since Alberto Ascari’s triumph in 1953. Winning the championship in only his second season represents a remarkable achievement, not just for the present but also as a statement of intent for the future.
It is therefore understandable that attention has turned to the stories surrounding Antonelli’s first two seasons in Formula 1. Although everything now appears almost too good to be true, his journey to the championship included considerable uncertainty, criticism and commercial consequences for Mercedes.
Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes lost two sponsors after choosing Kimi Antonelli
Less than a year ago, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was facing uncertainty over a contract extension that was taking longer than expected to arrive. At the beginning of 2025, Mercedes had also lost two sponsors following its decision to replace Lewis Hamilton with the young Italian.
The reasons were closely connected to the circumstances of Hamilton’s departure. Losing a seven-time world champion to Ferrari and replacing him with an 18-year-old prospect, who was also coming off a difficult FIA Formula 2 campaign, convinced two companies to end their association with Mercedes.
Speaking about Antonelli’s development through the years under Mercedes’ guidance, Toto Wolff reflected on how quickly the young driver’s career had progressed.
“It’s incredible. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to realise what has happened, because it feels like yesterday that he was 11 years old and in a garage, working on junior karts. Time goes by incredibly quickly. Then he wins in the junior categories, has a difficult year in F2 and, already at that point, people on the outside start doubting him.”
Despite those doubts, the Mercedes team principal remained convinced that Antonelli possessed the qualities required to succeed at the highest level.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move prompted immediate decision from Toto Wolff
Wolff also revealed how quickly he decided to promote Antonelli after Lewis Hamilton informed him of his intention to leave Mercedes for Ferrari. Rather than beginning a lengthy search for an established replacement, the Austrian immediately identified the young Italian as his preferred choice.
“When Lewis told me he was going to Ferrari, my reaction was immediate: we have to put Kimi in the car. Lewis and I were sitting at my house when he told me. You have to accept it because it was his decision. But my reaction was instinctive: Lewis is leaving, I call Bradley [Lord, now Mercedes deputy team principal] and tell him that Kimi will be behind the wheel the following year.”
“We already knew the data, so it seemed like the right choice to us. I think it was always a calculated risk, not a genuine gamble.”
The decision was nevertheless met with scepticism. While Mercedes believed its assessment of Antonelli justified the promotion, not everyone associated with the team shared that confidence.
“But people had doubts. I remember that, even before we reached that point, we had lost two sponsors precisely because of this decision, because they were asking: ‘Who is this kid?’ Others, however, have stayed with us to this day, and some of them are here with us. They’ve been able to reap all the rewards of that decision.”
Kimi Antonelli’s difficult rookie season tested Mercedes’ confidence
Antonelli’s first year in Formula 1 did little to silence his critics immediately. A difficult sequence of results, including nine races without scoring points, brought renewed questions about whether Mercedes had promoted him too quickly.
Some believed the Italian should not have been competing in Formula 1 at all, while others argued that he should have started his career with a smaller team rather than stepping directly into one of the championship’s leading organisations.
Wolff recalled the criticism and the emotional difficulties that accompanied the rookie’s development.
“Then came that difficult year and the criticism started again. Some people said he shouldn’t even be in Formula 1, or that he should have been racing for a smaller team. For nine races he didn’t score any points, there were tears at Spa, and then came this result.”
Those experiences formed part of a demanding development process. Antonelli subsequently demonstrated his ability to overcome setbacks, culminating in a world championship triumph that he regards as only the beginning of his Formula 1 ambitions.
Toto Wolff praises Mercedes for keeping faith in its future F1 champion
For Toto Wolff, the championship represents more than an individual achievement. It also vindicates the confidence shown by Mercedes when the team chose to promote Antonelli despite doubts from outside the organisation and the loss of two commercial partners.
The decision has now been rewarded with the drivers’ world championship, and the Mercedes team principal was eager to recognise those who continued supporting the Italian throughout the difficult periods.
“I’m simply very proud of the team because everyone continued to believe in him and give him confidence. And he has repaid that faith.”
The journey from an uncertain rookie season to becoming Formula 1 world champion in only his second year has already become part of the sport’s history. What initially appeared to some as a risky decision has ultimately delivered one of Mercedes’ most significant successes.
More news about Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes
- Kimi Antonelli’s father reveals when he knew his son could become F1 world champion
- Stefano Domenicali celebrates Kimi Antonelli’s historic title after Italy’s 73-year wait
- Toto Wolff praises Kimi Antonelli following his world championship victory
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