Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff deserves credit for taking a gamble on Kimi Antonelli.
After seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton decided to part ways with Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025, the Brackley outfit was faced with deciding between signing another experienced driver and putting its support behind an up-and-comer.
When Wolff opted to fast-track Antonelli to Formula 1, the team chief faced a lot of criticism. Now, in his second season in the series, Antonelli leads the standings with an 81-point advantage over his team-mate George Russell and has secured eight grand prix victories.
“You’ve got to give Toto credit for taking the risk on Kimi,” Szafnauer explained during the High Performance Racing podcast. “And also Gwen [Lagrue]. He discovered him.”
Wolff poked fun at his critics over the team radio after Antonelli secured his maiden F1 win in China. “‘He’s too young. We shouldn’t put him in a Mercedes. Put him in a smaller team. He needs the experience. Look at the mistakes he makes.’ Here we go, Kimi. Victory,” Wolff said to Antonelli after he took the chequered flag in Shanghai.
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Discussing the radio message after the race, Wolff explained: “When things go bad, there are people who come out and say, ‘That was a bad decision,’ and ‘Mercedes took too much risk.’ And it was never really harsh criticism because people recognise the talent that he has.
“But there were many voices within the sport and outside that said, ‘That was a mistake to do.’ So it’s nice to have a little revanche. But obviously, it’s one race win.
“And this sport that we live in is manic depressive. Today, it’s great. In two weeks, we are in Japan, and he puts it in the wall, and people say he’s too young. So I think we need to just keep the feet on the ground.”
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