Antonelli may not reach his F1 peak until 2030 – Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff thinks Andrea Kimi Antonelli may need three to five years to reach his peak performance level in Formula 1.

Antonelli made his F1 debut this season with very little experience, with the two-time Formula 4 and Formula Regional champion skipping F3 on his way to a sole F2 season.

The Italian rookie was unsurprisingly inconsistent during his maiden F1 campaign, making a number of driving errors and simply lacking performance relative to lead Mercedes racer George Russell.

Antonelli was 24-5 down on the Briton in qualifying, excluding his braking-affected sprint qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps, and scored just 150 points to Russell’s 319.

The 19-year-old obviously has room for improvement, and Mercedes doesn’t expect him to be at his best as a sophomore in 2026. Asked, in the Beyond The Grid podcast, how long it would take for Antonelli to reach his peak, Wolff reckoned his protege might need until 2030.

“When do we expect him to peak? Three, five years from now,” the Austrian replied. “And that’s the time we need to give him.”

Pressed on what Antonelli still had to learn about F1, Wolff clarified: “I think he knows a lot about this sport because that’s what he lives and breathes every day. But there is the human component that you need to mature as a young man, cope with the dynamics and pressure of this environment. But I mean, no doubt that this is going in the right direction.”

Antonelli’s 2025 F1 debut at Mercedes, which wouldn’t have been possible had Lewis Hamilton not switched allegiance to Ferrari, gave him meaningful experience as the world championship switches to a new technical rule set – regarding both chassis and power units – for 2026 and beyond.

“I think what we know and what we’ve seen in the simulators is that next year is going to be different driving than this year,” Mercedes High Performance Powertrains managing director Hywel Thomas pointed out.

“There’s a lot to take in. There’s a lot of new stuff to do. So I think it would be extraordinary difficult for someone to step into that as their first year.

“So I’m pleased that he’s done a year this year, definitely pleased that he knows the team, is part of the team. You know, he’s been up to Brixworth [where Mercedes’ engine department is based] plenty of times. We’ve been going through all the technical stuff that’s going to be changing. He’s having his input in there. So I’m super pleased that he’s been racing this year.”

We want to hear from you!

— The Autosport.com Team