After his magnificent pole position in Monte Carlo, Andrea Kimi Antonelli appears to have truly come of age, convincing even the last remaining sceptics about the scale of his talent. The Italian teenager danced brilliantly through the corners, kerbs and barriers of the Principality, securing his fourth pole position of the season by just 43 thousandths of a second ahead of Max Verstappen.
At only 19 years of age, Kimi Antonelli continues to surprise and excite Formula 1 fans, while offering a glimpse of what could be an extraordinary future in the sport. Among those most impressed by his performances is Mercedes team principal and co-owner Toto Wolff, who has been captivated by the young driver’s remarkable start to the season.
Toto Wolff jumps to his feet as Mercedes celebrates
One of the most memorable moments of Monaco qualifying came immediately after Kimi Antonelli secured pole position. As the Italian crossed the finish line, Toto Wolff could not contain his emotions.
The Mercedes boss let out a loud and passionate “Yes!”, a release of tension, joy and relief that saw him leap from his seat and celebrate with the enthusiasm of the team’s most dedicated supporter. It was a spontaneous reaction that perfectly reflected the significance of the achievement.
After all, Andrea Kimi Antonelli represents perhaps Toto Wolff’s biggest gamble since arriving at Mercedes. It was Wolff who made the bold decision to place his faith in the young Italian and choose him as the successor to none other than Lewis Hamilton, the driver who won six Formula 1 world championships with the Silver Arrows.
Seeing Antonelli deliver a pole position on one of the most demanding circuits in the world was therefore particularly satisfying for the Austrian executive, who has long believed in the teenager’s potential.
Later, during his media interviews, Toto Wolff appeared much calmer but was quick to remind Antonelli that the job was far from finished.
“I hope we can get the clutch release point right and then Kimi will have to make himself as wide as a bus, like one of the tourist buses driving around Monaco. If he loses out at the start and isn’t leading, it will be really difficult,” Wolff joked.
The Mercedes chief also admitted how much the pole position had meant to him personally: “I haven’t been this excited in a very long time. It was an incredibly close qualifying session. We were able to see how he built this pole position, session after session. He has that ease and naturalness that are typical of youth.”
The comments reflected the admiration Wolff has for Antonelli’s ability to perform under pressure. Throughout the Monaco weekend, the Italian steadily improved his pace, overcoming a difficult Friday and benefiting from overnight setup changes that transformed the behaviour of the Mercedes W17.
By the time qualifying reached its decisive stages, Antonelli had found the confidence required to attack Monaco’s barriers with complete commitment, ultimately producing a lap good enough to deny Max Verstappen by the smallest of margins.
Now, with pole position secured, the focus shifts to Sunday’s race. As Toto Wolff jokingly suggested, Kimi Antonelli may need to make his Mercedes as wide as a Monaco tourist bus if he wants to keep Max Verstappen behind him into Sainte Devote and maintain control of the race from the front.
What it means!!! 🔥
The boss reacts to Kimi’s maiden Monaco pole 💪 pic.twitter.com/TADTRx9OoH
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 6, 2026
Leave a Reply