Wolff hits back at critics after title win: "This is Kimi Antonelli!"
Photo: Race Pictures
Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff could not hide his satisfaction with Kimi Antonelli's historic title win at the Mexico City GP, yet again pointing to the naysayers that claimed the Italian was too young for F1.
Antonelli's P3 finish at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, behind fellow champions Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, respectively, was more than enough to secure a historic F1 Drivers' title.
The 20-year-old has now beaten former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel’s age record - achieved at the Abu Dhabi GP in 2010 - by three years and 66 days to become F1’s youngest ever title winner.
Speaking briefly to Sky Sports amidst the celebrations in Mexico City, Wolff said: "[People asked] Why do you put this kid in the car? Oh, it's Kimi Antonelli. THIS is Kimi Antonelli! Incredible. Also today, completely serene. That's what makes him so different."
Wolff later appeared again with the broadcaster, going into further detail on why he was right to back the young Italian. “We have to pinch ourselves because it seems like yesterday he was 11 years old in a garage in junior karting and it goes so fast.
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“He wins the junior formulas, then a difficult year in F2 and that's already where people start outside started to doubt. Then when Lewis told me he was going to Ferrari, it was my immediate reaction that we’ve got to put him in the car."
Wolff proud after Antonelli proves doubters wrong
Photo: Race Pictures
Wolff even revealed sponsors left Mercedes upon Antonelli's promotion but despite knowing the "calculated risk" of handing a then 18-year-old Antonelli his debut in 2025, the Austrian expressed his pride in backing the Italian.
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“But people doubted. We had two sponsors leaving us because of that, because of ‘who is this kid?’ There were others who stayed with us until today. Some are here that reaped the full reward.
“And then the difficult year and people said again, he shouldn't even be in Formula 1 or he should be at a smaller team. Over nine races, no points, the tears in Spa and then this.
“I'm just so proud for the team that all of them continue to trust him and he delivered. It was instinctive. Lewis left. I called Bradley and said, Kimi is in the car next year. We knew the data, so it kind of felt the right thing to do. I think it was always a calculated risk, not a real risk.”
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