Despite the ongoing struggles of teenage driver Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes have been urged to extend his contract. The Italian made an impressive start in F1 at just 18 years old, securing a fourth-place finish in his debut race at the challenging Australian Grand Prix. The young prodigy was fast-tracked into F1 to fill the shoes of Lewis Hamilton, who had opted to join Ferrari. He built on his initial success with consecutive sixth-place finishes in China and Japan.
Antonelli then stunned the racing world by qualifying on pole for the Miami sprint in May, and secured his first podium at the Canadian Grand Prix a month later. However, that memorable day in Montreal has been one of the few highlights in recent months. Since the start of the European season, his performance and results have taken a hit. This, coupled with a Mercedes car that has become increasingly difficult to handle due to upgrades, has severely dented the teenager’s confidence.
At Monza on Sunday, Antonelli managed to finish ninth, earning points for only the second time in the nine Grands Prix held in Europe this year. However, following the race, team principal Toto Wolff expressed criticism over the youngster’s race pace, having dropped from his starting position of seventh on the grid.
“Underwhelming this weekend – underwhelming,” the Austrian team boss commented on his young driver’s performance, marking a shift from his usual approach of excusing every error due to Antonelli’s youth and lack of experience.
“It does not change anything on my support and confidence in his future because I believe he is going to be very, very, very good. But today was… underwhelming.”
Wolff has publicly stated in recent weeks that both his drivers will receive contract extensions and race for Mercedes in 2026. However, neither Antonelli nor George Russell have yet signed a new deal.
Sky Sports commentator David Croft suggests that to provide some stability for the younger of the Silver Arrows racers, Mercedes should expedite this process.
“I wonder if maybe because of his age, or the person that Kimi is, he does dwell on the negatives a bit more than other drivers, and some of his other peers would,” he said on Sky’s The F1 Show podcast.
“If that is the case, maybe what he actually needs is a bit of an arm around his shoulder and a confidence boost from the team, that says, ‘You are definitely our driver for next year, don’t worry. This is a rookie year, we believe in you’. I agree with Nico [Rosberg], he is an exceptional talent.”
Speaking on the same podcast, Rosberg observed his former boss Wolff’s change of approach at Monza.
The 2016 champion stated: “The only choice you really have is to just give Kimi the most time possible in the most calm way possible, and that means also not criticising him publicly. And so this change of tone from Toto for the first time ever… usually there is a reason behind it. Toto is very calculated in his comments.
“Perhaps he is wanting to put some pressure on Kimi and his family to try a different approach, modify their approach, review their approach. But the fact of the matter is, Kimi is a generational talent, we all know that, but it is more difficult for him than we all thought so far. And it is a bit strange that it is still so difficult.”