Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff makes no secret of the fact that Kimi Antonelli still lags behind George Russell in some areas due to a lack of experience
Although George Russell finished on the podium for Mercedes in Miami, it was his teammate Kimi Antonelli who was the talk of the town afterwards: pole position for the sprint, third place on the grid for the Grand Prix – the young Italian made a huge impression on only his sixth race weekend in Formula 1.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff agrees, praising the rookie’s “incredible speed” in particular: “The highlight was definitely his strong pace over a fast lap – that was great. It’s further proof of his talent and a good sign for the future.”
However, the Viennese driver was also aware of the final standings: “In the race, it was of course much more difficult.” Wolff explains: “Simply because it’s extremely difficult to find the right reference points here.” The Mercedes boss is referring to the Pirelli tires: “Today was a race to learn, with a tire that was simply difficult.”
Wolff on Antonelli: “Nothing disappointing”
“The hard tire didn’t work well for George either. And then he lacked a bit of reference in terms of how hard he could push it or how not to,” Wolff explains to Sky, saying that Antonelli simply lacks the necessary experience “to manage this tire optimally.” The team boss makes it clear: “But that’s a normal part of the learning curve. And that’s why we said it’s just part of the process.”
Wollf’s conclusion is therefore thoroughly positive: “There’s nothing disappointing about it. Overall, I come away from the weekend feeling that he did a good job,” he says with regard to Antonelli. It’s only natural that his protégé still finds it difficult to handle the tires at times: ‘Bono tried to coach him as best he could—but when you’re sitting in the car yourself, it’s a completely different thing,’ says Wolff, relaxed.
However, the fact that the Silver Arrows are generally struggling with the tires is causing the team boss more concern: “I think we’re a bit like a Spanish village in that we don’t know exactly how far we can push it. In Jeddah, we destroyed the tires so badly that we held back a bit here.”
Wolff concludes: “I think maybe we held back a little too much. And then the driver finds it very difficult to find a reference point for how far he can really push.” This is precisely where Russell’s greater wealth of experience comes into play: “George has a better feel for it. Kimi can’t feel it yet,” says Wolff, knowing full well that his rough diamond is certainly not slowing down with every additional kilometer…
