Toto Wolff pinpoints issue on alarming Kimi Antonelli Mercedes F1 slump

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has revealed the main reason behind rookie Kimi Antonelli's recent downturn in performance.

The Italian replaced seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows ahead of the 2025 campaign after impressing during his one and only season in F2.

He made a stunning start to his career in the top tier with an inspired comeback from P16 to P4 on his race debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

That was followed up with a series of top-six finishes between March-May before he experienced his first DNF at the Emilia Romagna GP in front of his disappointed home fans.

Antonelli has collected just 16 points over his subsequent seven outings, with all but one of those coming courtesy of a maiden podium finish in Canada back in June.

Despite his slump, Wolff remains unconcerned and is confident that his young star will go on to fulfil his potential in the coming years.

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Austrian said: "Kimi is a huge talent: he's fast, he's intelligent, but he's very young.

"I said it right from the start: he'll make mistakes, we know that, and we wouldn't have taken him on if we weren't aware of that."

Wolff laments 'inconsistent car'

Wolff was also happy to accept his share of the blame for the 18-year-old's struggles of late, adding: “Unfortunately, we have an inconsistent car, which makes it more difficult for him to adapt.

"But going through these difficulties is also part of the process of becoming a champion."

Antonelli currently occupies seventh spot in the drivers' standings, more than 100 points behind team-mate George Russell.

With both drivers out of contract at the end of the year, and with Max Verstappen's Red Bull future uncertain until recently, there had been speculation that one of the Mercedes duo would be replaced.

Wolff has consistently denied that was his intention, but as things stand, neither driver has signed a new deal going into the final 10 grands prix of 2025.

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