Wolff warns Antonelli of 'Italian public' problem after Miami GP victory

Antonelli's commanding drive in Florida saw him deliver a third consecutive Grand Prix victory at just 19 years of age, meaning he tops the Drivers' standings 20 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell as the youngest-ever championship leader.

McLaren's Lando Norris finished just over three seconds behind Antonelli, but the Mercedes driver’s victory was never really in doubt after he got ahead of the world champion following a pit stop on Lap 26 at the Hard Rock stadium - a performance Wolff was delighted with after the race.

On ranking Antonelli's display Miami among his other victories, Wolff said to media, including GPblog: "For me that was his best race so far. It reminds me of his karting days or Formula 4, there were no mistakes today.”

Wolff was then asked how difficult it would be to contain the hype surrounding Antonelli after his third straight win - the Italian also became the first F1 driver ever to secure his first three victories all from Pole Position.

Wolff responded: "The easier bit is making sure that he keeps both feet on the ground here in the team. His parents have played a big part in that, to leave him grounded."

However, Wolff pointed to pressures from the Italian public, especially considering the nation's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Austrian paired Antonelli's stardom in Italy with that of multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Jannik Sinner - a huge F1 fan who also won the Madrid Open at the weekend.

"The bigger problem is the Italian public," Wolff warned. "Now that they are not qualified for football, it’s all about Sinner and Antonelli, and Antonelli and Sinner. Sinner won in Madrid, so it’s the two that are superstars.”