Rosberg: Toto had good reason to criticize Antonelli

      2016 world champion Nico Rosberg was surprised by criticism from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff directed at Kimi Antonelli. According to Nico, who knows Toto well from working together at Mercedes, Wolff had a good reason for such remarks.

      Nico Rosberg: "I was surprised by his words, because right now Mercedes has only one option – to give Kimi the opportunity to work in as calm an environment as possible. In other words, not to criticize him publicly.

      Toto, however, changed his tone towards him for the first time. That means there's some reason behind it, because Toto is very calculated in his comments. Possibly, with these words he wanted to put pressure on Kimi and his family so that they would rethink their approach to work and try a new one.

      The fact is that Kimi is a talent of his generation, and we all know that, but he is having a harder time than we might have imagined. And it's a bit strange that everything has turned out to be so difficult.

      If you look at the season statistics, he is behind George Russell both in qualifying and in races. We all want him to succeed, because we know how good Kimi is. But at some point the clock will start ticking for him too, and that will make things even harder for him."

      Mercedes has not yet made an official announcement about the team's lineup for 2026, and Nico Rosberg does not rule out the possibility that Antonelli will be left without a seat: "I said a few weeks or months ago — give him a contract simply so he can regain confidence in his abilities.

      We're talking about Formula 1, and in the worst case they could get rid of him in the winter. I'm not saying that will necessarily happen, but I would consider that option as well."