Wolff aims dig at Ferrari over Antonelli: "They should have done the job six or seven years ago"
Photo: Race Pictures
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Toto Wolff has aimed a dig at Ferrari over reported interest in Kimi Antonelli, insisting they "should have done the job six or seven years ago".
Antonelli a product of the Mercedes Junior Programme, is the favourite to win the drivers' championship in just his second season of Formula One. Unsurprisingly, Ferrari have been linked with the Italian driver.
"We're aware," Wolff told RTBF, as per GrandPrix.com, when asked about Ferrari's interest in the championship leader.
"But Kimi has been a Mercedes driver since he was 11. Ferrari should have done the job six or seven years ago, instead of realising now that they have a good Italian driver. Of course, they'll do everything to get an Italian driver."
Antonelli's victory at Spa means he now holds a 45 point lead in the championship over Lewis Hamilton, with teammate George Russell a further five points behind.
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The last Italian to drive for Ferrari
Ferrari have not had much luck with Italian drivers despite all of their successes in Formula 1.
The Scuderia have not had an Italian driver since Giancarlo Fisichella in the 2009 season. Fisichella switched from Force India to Ferrari after finishing second at the Belgian Grand Prix, filling in for the injured Felipe Massa, after Italian compatriot Luca Badoer delivered two underwhelming performances as a replacement for the Brazilian.
The last permanent Italian driver for Ferrari was Ivan Capelli in 1992. In one of Ferrari's all-time weakest seasons, Capelli only scored three points and left the team with two races to spare.
Ferrari have not had an Italian race winner since Michele Alboreto took three victories for them across the 1984 and 1985 seasons. Meanwhile, Alberto Ascari is still the last Italian driver to win the championship for Ferrari, 73 years ago, having won the championship in both the 1952 and 1953 seasons.
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