Toto Wolff urges Kimi Antonelli to be more patient after aggressive F1 Austrian GP start. Toto Wolff reflects on Kimi Antonelli's costly mistakes at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, has reflected on Kimi Antonelli’s performance at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, admitting that the young Italian’s eagerness during the opening laps ultimately came at a high price. Although Antonelli displayed impressive pace in the closing stages of the race, his early mistakes prevented him from mounting a genuine challenge for victory.

Costly mistakes and too much aggression in the opening laps

Antonelli started the race from fourth on the grid after yesterday’s qualifying was disrupted by a yellow flag. In the opening laps he was forced to recover ground by overtaking the two Ferraris, but several mistakes saw him run wide on three separate occasions during the first two laps. Reflecting on his driver’s race, Toto Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “I think he was very impatient at the beginning, trying to win the race in the first few laps, and that cost him dearly.”

Despite the criticism, the Austrian team boss made it clear that he appreciated Antonelli’s attacking mindset. He added: “But I like the enthusiasm. He goes for it up the hill into Turn 3, probably throws the anchor out 30 metres too late. The same happened at Turn 1, and that’s exactly how it should be. I’ve said it before, we want a driver who always attacks at the limit because you can’t make a donkey faster, but you can calm down a thoroughbred.”

A strong recovery despite the missed opportunity

After a difficult opening phase, Antonelli fought his way back into contention and began chasing George Russell and Max Verstappen, eventually finishing just 1.9 seconds behind the race winner. However, the time lost through those early errors proved decisive, leaving him without a realistic opportunity to fight for the win despite Mercedes’ strong pace in the latter stages.

Wolff stressed that Antonelli’s aggressive approach remains one of his greatest strengths, provided it can be refined with experience, underlining the team’s continued confidence in the talented Italian driver from Emilia-Romagna.

The Austrian Grand Prix also saw Antonelli’s advantage in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship reduced to 40 points over George Russell, although Mercedes once again demonstrated encouraging overall competitiveness around the Red Bull Ring.