Wolff, torpedo at Red Bull: “Some teams fire you after three GPs. We did the opposite with Antonelli”

Mercedes’ Max After trying for a long time to sign Max Verstappen, Toto Wolff tried to solve the root problem and ‘build’ one at home. Obviously it is a simplification, but there is no doubt that the exploits displayed in these first GPs of 2026 by Andrea Kimi Antonelli – author of two poles and two victories in three races and current leader of the World Championship (the youngest ever) – however ‘facilitated’ by a dominant single-seater, may recall certain feats achieved by the young Verstappen. Antonelli, however, perhaps even more than Verstappen, had a debut season in Formula 1 that was anything but simple: some extraordinary results – for example the fourth place obtained in the debut GP and the three splendid podiums of the season – were alternated with several errors and missed passes which led the very young talent from Bologna to experience a real emotional and confidence crisis towards the end of the first half of the season. A difficult moment which however the driver overcame brilliantly thanks also to the support of the team and Toto Wolff himself. Dig at Red Bull During a long and interesting interview given to the website The Athletic Wolff spoke about his way of managing young drivers and in particular Antonelli, launching a not too veiled dig at the now historic rivals of Red Bull, known – at least under the Horner-Marko management – for a certain impatience towards their young talents: “I too have been a driver, so I understand the pressures these guys are subjected to – explained Wolff – and it’s pressure on multiple fronts. When we see an emerging driver, we obviously evaluate him based on talent, pure speed, ability to grow, but also on managing pressure. Because in F1 it’s all about pressure and how to manage it while still being able to give your best.” Then, here’s the sentence that will have made ears ring around Milton Keynes: “If you look at the policy of other junior teams, they fire drivers if they don’t do well after three races – declared Wolff – we did the opposite with Kimi. In practice we brought into the team an eighteen year old who had the best CV of any junior driver in karting and minor formulas, but who made many mistakes in the first year. People criticized us harshly for this choice. They said he was too young, that he was making too many mistakes and that we were burning him out. We knew it was going to happen in the first year.” The results, at the moment, seem to prove Wolff right.