Toto Wolff praises Antonelli for handling debut F1 season

The caput of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, praised the young Italian, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, for the mode helium withstood the unit and challenges during his archetypal play successful Formula 1. Wolff particularly pointed retired however hard it was for the young antheral thrown "among the cannibals of F1" to look veterans and experienced drivers of the highest rank.

Antonelli finished the play successful seventh spot with 150 points. His debut play was a substance of large performances and hard moments; the opening of the play brought him praise and notable results, portion successful the mediate of the twelvemonth helium went done a play without winning points successful the European portion of the calendar.

The signifier improved successful the extremity of the championship. After the archetypal podium successful Canada, the 19-year-old again reached the apical 3 successful Brazil and Las Vegas, and the 2nd presumption successful Sao Paulo was the item of the season. Wolff stressed: “As I said earlier the commencement of the season, we volition spot moments of brilliance that amusement his talent, but besides days erstwhile we volition propulsion our hairsbreadth out. It is those hard days that you larn the most, and we person been done them. There person been ups, determination person been downs and, without a doubt, a immense magnitude of learning.”

The Mercedes brag recalled that Antonelli started the play astatine conscionable 18 years aged and had ne'er driven a 24-race calendar before, which was a immense carnal and intelligence challenge. “You person to retrieve that Kimi is lone 19 years old. This was the archetypal clip helium was thrown into the cannibals of Formula 1. I deliberation helium has stood up to the pressure. And determination are surely precocious expectations for him successful the future,” Wolff added.

Antonelli finished little than 10 points down Lewis Hamilton

Despite the challenges, Antonelli finished little than 10 points down Lewis Hamilton successful the last standings, which further demonstrates the worth of his result. The young Italian didn't fell his tiredness aft the past race, but helium made it clear: "I'm decidedly rather tired. I didn't consciousness the champion physically oregon healthily this weekend, truthful I'm looking guardant to a rest. Obviously, the archetypal play is implicit and present we person a period to look astatine the full twelvemonth and travel backmost overmuch stronger."

According to Wolff, Mercedes achieved the basal goal: to enactment the young operator done the toughest imaginable trial and let him to travel retired of it much prepared for the challenges of the adjacent season.