Toto Wolff fears 'Italian public' problem with new F1 superstar Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes

Wolff fears 'Italian public' problem with new F1 superstar Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes have uncovered a real gem

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 6 May 2026 12:56

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Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has warned Kimi Antonelli to keep himself grounded after his recent run in the sport.

19-year-old Antonelli claimed his third successive grand prix victory last weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, and now leads the drivers' championship by 20 points over his much more experienced team-mate George Russell.

Antonelli has also claimed three pole positions this year to Russell's one, and is looking every bit the championship contender at this stage as he aims to become the first Italian F1 champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

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Antonelli's form is such that he is putting himself in esteemed company with the Italian public. Antonelli is friends with tennis world number one Jannik Sinner, who also heralds from Italy and has been described by Wolff as a 'superstar'.

Sinner has won a tournament every time Antonelli has won a grand prix so far, a remarkable statistic which continued with Sinner's Madrid Open final success against Alexander Zverev last weekend.

Now, Wolff has urged Antonelli to keep himself grounded and not get carried away with his newfound stardom in Italy.

"The easiest bit is making sure that he keeps both feet on the ground within the team, his parents have done a great job in keeping him grounded," Wolff told Sky Sports F1 after Sunday's race.

"The bigger problem is the Italian public. Now that they are not qualifying for football it is all about Sinner and Antonelli. I think Sinner won in Madrid so it is the two superstars and that is something that we need to contain.

"There are so many requests for his time. It's on us to keep the handbrake on that.

"We just really need to stay calm here because such success for such a young man at this stage, all of Italy will be on him.

"Sinner and Antonelli, Antonelli and Sinner. We have won three grands prix, Sinner is world number one and has won many grand slams."

MIAMI RESULTS: Final classification with all late penalties applied

Can Antonelli bring home the championship?

While football in Italy is not going too well, tennis and F1 certainly is, and Italian sports fans will be excited to hear that Antonelli is the youngest ever driver to lead the F1 drivers' championship.

Italy has not had a serious contender for the drivers' championship arguably since Alberto Ascari won it back in 1953.

Riccardo Patrese came a very distant second in the 1992 standings, while 1978 world champion Mario Andretti was born in Italy but was a US citizen and represented the US when racing in the sport.

Antonelli has the tools to become world champion, with Mercedes the dominant team in 2026, but time will tell as to whether he can sustain a challenge all-season long against his much more experienced team-mate George Russell, and with Mercedes' rivals beginning to close the gap following the five-week break in the sport.

F1 Mercedes Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli