F1 2026: Toto Wolff shares fresh concerns over Kimi Antonelli mistakes after maiden win

Antonelli and Wolff in Mercedes garage at 2024 Singapore GP — Photo: © IMAGO

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Toto Wolff shares fresh concerns over Kimi Antonelli F1 mistakes after maiden win

Kimi Antonelli may have won his first F1 race, but Toto Wolff is still watching out for mistakes

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 20 March 2026 09:44

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has spoken of new concerns he has regarding Kimi Antonelli following the Italian teenager's debut grand prix win last weekend.

At the Chinese Grand Prix last time out, Antonelli made history by becoming the youngest grand prix polesitter in F1, smashing Sebastian Vettel's previous record by storming to the top of the timesheets in Saturday's qualifying.

Antonelli quickly lost the race lead to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who once again demonstrated blistering pace off the start line in his new Ferrari, but the young Italian managed to snatch P1 back on the second lap.

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From there, the 19-year-old managed to keep ahold of the position, holding off team-mate and championship leader George Russell as well as saving himself from a last-minute wobble to take the chequered flag for the first time in his F1 career.

Following Antonelli's maiden victory, the media ran wild with questions about the No.2 driver's championship chances, with the young star sitting just four points behind Mercedes' lead driver in the standings.

Wolff issues warning over Antonelli F1 hype

But Mercedes team principal Wolff is all too wary of the renewed hype around the Silver Arrows star, who has proved in the past that he can be guilty of allowing success to get to his head.

Speaking to media after Antonelli's emotional maiden win, his Austrian boss warned against the media getting carried away with the future potential of his young driver, especially where his home country of Italy is concerned.

"You can see the hype starting now, especially in Italy," said Wolff, pointing to the fact that mass hysteria had ensued following Antonelli's win which made him the first Italian to win a grand prix since Giancarlo Fisichella's victory in Malaysia a shocking 20 years ago.

Wolff continued: "I can already see the headlines: ‘World Champion, Grande Kimi’ and whatever else. And that’s really not good, because mistakes will happen."

The head of the Brackley-based squad went on to remind reporters that Antonelli is still a 'kid', noting: "It’s too early to even think about a world championship. We have a good car that—at this point—is capable of winning."

Does Antonelli have what it takes to beat Russell to the title?

If Mercedes continue to show race pace that puts them in a league of their own ahead of closest contenders Ferrari, then both Russell and Antonelli are in with a genuine shot of claiming their first drivers' championship in 2026.

But given that this year's campaign marks Russell's eighth year in F1, it would only feel natural for the Brit to lead Mercedes' return to the top of the standings, not Antonelli.

What's more, Wolff is right in that Antonelli is still a teenager and only in his sophomore season in the pinnacle of motorsport, having displayed two years in a row that he is not immune to pressure impacting his performance.

At both the 2024 and 2025 Italian GPs in Monza, Antonelli crashed in front of the Italian fans, spinning off the track during FP2 last year after also destroying Russell's car in FP1 at the same circuit in 2024, before he joined the team full-time.

He still has to prove to Wolff and F1 fans around the world (well, maybe not in Italy) that he is capable of building a convincing title campaign, with his priority in 2026 likely to support the Silver Arrows as they hope to pick up their first constructors' championship since 2021.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Mercedes Toto Wolff 2026 regulations Kimi Antonelli