Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits that even he has been surprised by the rapid growth shown by Kimi Antonelli over the course of the 2026 Formula 1 season, likening him to an “AI agent” that is always improving.
The 20-year-old Italian is in just his second F1 season after being fast-tracked to the top tier as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton when he left the Silver Arrows ahead of the 2025 season.
In his first year, Antonelli faced an up and down campaign, and struggled over the European rounds in particular. This led to some onlookers to question Wolff’s decision to promote the youngster, but he always stood by the move.
“Last year was according to plan,” the Austrian said. “I’ve said there are going to be moments of brilliance, difficult moments.
“I think he started the season at a time when he found himself like a deer in the headlights. In his zone, in the car, extraordinary performances already, but not continuous.
“Then he had this negative spell where he made over nine races without scoring points. I remember Spa was terrible for him and he was feeling down. Monza was the point where I for the first time said to him, ‘listen, you’ve got to wake up here’. But never doubting. That’s why we gave him the opportunity.”
Kimi Antonelli had a rough debut season with Mercedes in 2025
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
The topsy-turvy results were gone after the winter break, however, when F1 entered its new era and Mercedes made the jump from scrapping to make the podium to being a title-contending team once again.
Along with the improvement made to the team’s performance came a leap in Antonelli’s own results, and the Italian now leads the F1 standings over team-mate George Russell who lags 66 points behind. This, Wolff admits, came as a shock to even him.
“He came out after the winter, out of the blocks in a way that no one saw coming,” Wolff said.
“The ability, how he processed last year. He’s been at all the races. He’s seen the pressure of the media, the attention that he gets. It’s in a way that the system has been processed and saved. And that’s why [he’s had] the results that we’ve seen afterwards.
“But it is still surprising and amazing to see how quickly he develops. For me, it’s like an AI agent that continuously self-improves and learns. That’s the speed.
“Also his age is for sure beneficial. The ability cognitively, intellectually to constantly become better.”
Toto Wolff stands by his decision to promote Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Despite the impressive turnaround in his results, which was exemplified in Monza where he charged to victory from 19th after taking an engine penalty, Antonelli isn’t getting ahead of himself.
He has remained calm after each victory and taken stock on the odd occasion that he has made mistakes in 2026. Now, with a substantial lead over his more experienced team-mate, Antonelli said he is just taking the season as it comes.
“I just take race by race because you never know what can happen,” Antonelli told Sky Sports after the Italian GP. “Today went well, we had a massive opportunity and we took it, but of course next week we have Madrid and it’s going to be a new challenge.
“We will have to be on top of the game because it’s a new track for everyone and it’s going to be important to be on point in order to maximise the track time and everything.
“I’m going to enjoy this moment and then focus on the next one and then focus on the next one again until the end of the season.”
F1 will return to action this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix, which moves from its traditional home in Barcelona to the new Madring circuit.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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