Wolff praises Antonelli's US Grand Prix win as his best race yet
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hailed Kimi Antonelli's victory at the US Grand Prix as the Italian driver's best performance, noting his progress toward the championship.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised Kimi Antonelli after the Italian driver secured a win at the US Grand Prix, describing it as his best race to date. Antonelli, who started from pole, led a controlled run at the Circuit of the Americas, marking his ninth victory of the season and bringing him within striking distance of the title.
"On Kimi’s side obviously the main headline is that [it is] for me the best race that he’s delivered so far. Getting off the start with the inferior tyre and then controlling it at all times. Exceptional. I think he’s outperformed the car," Wolff said.
Antonelli acknowledged the achievement, noting the weekend's preparation and execution were superior to his earlier win at Monza.
"Monza was a super special one and one that I will remember forever. But this one probably in terms of execution was better, because the way we built up and the way we built the performance throughout the weekend was very good," he said.
Wolff highlighted the challenges Antonelli faced during his rookie season in 2025, when critics questioned his place at Mercedes. He said the driver has silenced those doubts with his recent performances.
"There are many people that said last year after nine races without points, he shouldn’t be in a Mercedes. People in other teams that said he shouldn’t even be in Formula One. All of that now is extremely satisfying to see what he’s able to deliver," Wolff added.
Wolff emphasized that Antonelli’s success reflects years of development, noting the driver entered Mercedes' junior program at age 12 and has been supported through karting and feeder series. He credited the broader team and development staff for the progress.
"It was teamwork. It was our junior team around Gwen that discovered him when he was 11. Credit to that group that have developed him over the many years," Wolff said.
Antonelli now needs a ninth-place finish or better at the Mexican Grand Prix to clinch the championship, which would make him the sport’s youngest world champion at 20 years old.