Wolff claims Kimi Antonelli would have been dropped elsewhere in thinly veiled dig at Red Bull

Wolff's decision to back his young driver, despite his mistakes in 2025, come as Racing Bulls are still deciding whether Liam Lawson keeps his seat for 2027 - raising questions about the ruthlessness in some teams in how quickly young drivers should be judged.

Wolff looked back at the scrutiny Antonelli faced in 2025, when results dried up and pressure built on Mercedes' decision to put him straight into a works seat. In his view, few teams would have shown the same patience.

Mercedes skipped the usual route of giving a young driver his first seasons at another team to allow him to find his feet in F1 and they stood by the young Italian, despite claiming that two sponsors left the team over doubts about bringing Antonelli in.

Wolff did not name a team. Still, his words are hard to read without thinking of Red Bull, whose own handling of young drivers is under scrutiny once again. Racing Bulls are the only team yet to confirm either driver for next season, with Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and F2 frontrunner Nikola Tsolov all in the frame.

Lawson knows better than most how fast Red Bull can change its mind. He was sent back to Racing Bulls after just two races for the senior team in 2025. Speaking in Brazil, team principal Alan Permane admitted that within the Red Bull programme "maybe sometimes the drivers haven't been able to have enough time to settle, or maybe some snap decisions have been made," as GPblog reported in Racing Bulls team boss reveals new update on Liam Lawson's F1 future.

Permane, who has extended his own contract through 2031, said the team is "trying to apply a little bit of science, and that takes some time." Lawson went into the Brazil weekend ninth in the standings with 83 points, the highest-placed driver outside the top four teams. Antonelli, meanwhile, ended that same weekend as the champion whose team chose to wait.