Toto Wolff: Kimi exceeds the boldest expectations

      Toto Wolff is not only the head of the Mercedes factory team in Formula 1, but he is also a family man, and his 8-year-old son Jack is already making his first strides in motorsport. Jack Wolff competes in the WSK Euro Series karting in the Mini U10 category and this weekend is participating in the final stage taking place in the Italian city of Cremona.

      By the way, among his competitors is Johan Berger, the younger son of Gerhard Berger, a former Formula 1 driver. Helping Jack grasp the theory and practice of motorsport is Kimi Antonelli, who is currently leading in the world championship.

      "They have a great relationship!" Wolff shared in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "They have known each other for about five years – Jack was only three years old then, and he has always admired Kimi, who, along with his father, Marco Antonelli, provides him with very good support. They often attend his races, and that is very important for him.

      When we invited Kimi to the Mercedes team, we knew he needed a year to adapt and develop, as Formula 1 is a completely different world compared to the junior series. He needed to get used to driving the car, learn to interact with sponsors, and communicate with the press. And he always had the task of achieving improvements in his second season.

      That’s exactly what Kimi did; he is performing at a very high level and showing excellent results. Currently, he exceeds our wildest expectations, but he cannot relax. Everyone praises him, but I always ask him to maintain balance.

      We cannot compare Kimi to Ayrton Senna, who won three titles and became one of the greatest drivers of all time. Antonelli has five race wins so far, so we need to give him the opportunity to grow. We noticed him when he was 9 or 10 years old, and he was already performing quite successfully in karting. We started keeping an eye on him, and in 2019 he joined the Mercedes youth program.

      But he is achieving success also thanks to family support, as his father is a former driver and owner of the AKM and Antonelli Motorsport teams, so he is quite capable of giving his son the right advice."

      Toto Wolff also said a few words about Lewis Hamilton, who previously raced for Mercedes and is now driving for Ferrari, climbing onto the podium, achieving his first victory in the SF-26, and currently ranking 3rd in the championship standings:

      "I never doubted Lewis; we know he is a great champion. He just needs the right car, and he has got that with Ferrari. Therefore, now Hamilton can fight not only for race wins but also for the championship title."