SAO PAULO — Mercedes wunderkind Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed the world what’s to come in his Formula 1 career by keeping Max Verstappen at bay at the end of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, according to his boss Toto Wolff.
Antonelli recorded his second podium and the best result of his rookie season when he finished second at Interlagos. The Italian teenager held off the charging Verstappen at the end, winning a drag race to the line by a fraction of a second despite the Red Bull driver having a tyre advantage.
Antonelli’s season has been up and down, but the Sao Paulo weekend — which saw him qualify second and finish second in both the sprint and the grand prix — was his best showing so far.
“I think all weekend he was strong, from the get-go. It’s good to see,” Wolff said. “Maybe it was coming to a track that he didn’t know, it’s a bit easier. Expectations are maybe lower, maybe pressure is not as high as some of the Europeans and then the execution was faultless at the end.
“Being able to fend off Max [who] on a newer and softer tyre, boy, that was really strong and testament to what’s to come.”
Wolff had predicted a rollercoaster first season for the teenage Antonelli, who replaced seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton when he moved to Ferrari.
“Today is an up, definitely a good moment,” Wolff added. “There will be more difficult ones, but let’s see the next few races. I think we’re seeing the young boy becoming a young man and performing.”
Antonelli had a difficult phase in the middle of the season where his form dropped off, but dealt with huge hype after his sprint pole in Miami and maiden pole in Canada.
Wolff said his job has been to keep the youngster’s feet on the ground. Asked if he ever doubted Antonelli could revive his rookie campaign, he said: “No, I was always confident he’s going to get the necessary grip.
“That’s why it was always clear that Kimi is going to stay with us next year also. So there was no doubt that with these complicated cars, the management of the tyres during them is something that you need to learn. And in that respect, that’s a great result.
“[This was] one of the good days, like I said, were many more difficult, but there was not a single moment of doubt in how he’s coming. But I always try to dampen the expectations on him. The Italians talked about the legend Kimi Antonelli after Montreal, after the Miami pole, and that’s an additional pressure.
“So let’s keep both feet on the ground. He was second, he fended off Max today. That was very impressive.
“But we want to win races and fight for championships. There’s a clear upward trend now coming to Las Vegas.”
