Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff hailed teenage prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli for his standout performance during the Miami GP weekend, even as the team grappled with tyre management issues that left them trailing McLaren over race distance.
Antonelli made headlines by taking Sprint pole, becoming the youngest polesitter in any Formula 1 format, before impressively qualifying third for the Miami Grand Prix itself. Despite a tougher race day, the 18-year-old’s raw pace and maturity behind the Mercedes wheel turned heads in the paddock.
Praise for rookie Antonelli
“I think the high point definitely was seeing his [Antonelli’s] speed on a single lap, great,” Wolff said, singling out the youngster for particular praise. “You know that’s another proof of his talent and a good indication to how the future can be.”
Although Antonelli faded during the main race – largely due to difficulties on the hard compound tyres – his effort was far from underwhelming. Wolff pointed to the demanding nature of the Miami circuit and Antonelli’s inexperience as key factors in his race-day challenges.
“And then in the race, challenging because [it is] so difficult here to find the right reference. You can say, ‘was the medium stint quick enough?’ You know, with George holding on in the back on the hard tyre – that was not good. And then when he went on to the hard, he just lacks experience managing it the right way.”
Wolff explained further, “And then finding the right references, and Bono [Race Engineer Pete Bonnington] really tried to guide him, but when you’re in that car, it’s not easy. And I think it’s just part of the learning curve.
“It’s nothing that is disappointing or not. Overall, I go away with the feeling that he’s done a good job.”
Russell was having issues with his Mercedes, too
Antonelli wasn’t the only Mercedes driver to navigate a mixed weekend. George Russell secured his fourth podium of the season, finishing third, though more than 30 seconds behind the dominant McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – a stark reminder of the team’s current limitations.
Wolff was candid about where Mercedes are falling short.
“It is simply that we have a really fast car, I believe on a single lap or on a few laps, [it is] absolutely where it can be, but we’re just not good with the tyres over an extended run and McLaren shows how it’s being done to a degree,” Wolff explained.
“I think that Red Bull, with Max, they’re managing it better, but also tricky performances and I would say we are solid in what we’re doing but [McLaren] are definitely doing an excellent job, by being able to go fast around the corners without overheating them. So, this is what we need to look up to and engineer our way out of the topic.”
Looking forward to the European races
Despite the team’s strength in qualifying – something highlighted by Antonelli’s pole and overall pace on the medium tyres – Wolff acknowledged that lasting performance remains elusive.
“You put everything down [in Qualifying], what is the car capable of generating in terms of downforce and we are right in the ballgame,” added Wolff.
“But at the end the points are being given for a race and a race means also being able to maintain that pace over a long time, over many laps and we are not capable of doing that.
“We just need to be better. We just need to understand, we need to find out where do we need to focus our attention in terms of development, what are the main performance contributors and we are on it, completely on it.”
Wolff added, “We are trying to find out, we are experimenting and we are going to definitely be able to challenge [McLaren].”
As the European leg of the season approaches, Mercedes find themselves in a transitional phase – buoyed by glimpses of brilliance from their young talent but grounded by the reality of their development challenges. For Antonelli, however, Miami was a definitive statement.
