Toto Wolff to this date regrets not being able to sign Max Verstappen because he had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg under contract. With Kimi Antonelli being regarded on the same level as Verstappen, Wolff wouldn’t want to miss on the Italian youngster. Wolff even has a seat available after Hamilton’s Ferrari announcement. The Mercedes CEO has been public about Antonelli being considered as an option. But wouldn’t that put too much pressure on the 17-year-old who isn’t even halfway through his rookie F2 season?

Apparently not, as per Kimi Antonelli’s father. Toto Wolff hasn’t made a decision on who will partner George Russell for 2025 but is keeping a close eye on what Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz are doing. On the other hand, Mercedes has also been testing with Kimi Antonelli in the F1 car from the previous era and the current ground effect era at tracks including Imola. 

The world of F1 is as cutthroat as it gets. We saw Alex Albon crumble during his first season at Red Bull, but over time, he has become one of the most highly regarded drivers on the grid. Something along the same lines must be going on with Kimi Antonelli, who wouldn’t want to miss out on the F1 opportunity but would need to make sure that he is ready, and that’s why Mercedes is arranging tests for the Italian, to gauge his performance and skill. 

But all this must be a load of pressure on just a 17-year-old. As per Fanpage.it Kimi Antonelli’s father was recently asked if his son being in the media so much because of Toto Wolff’s public announcement of him being a possible contender for the seat puts any pressure on the F2 rookie. His father replied, “Kimi doesn’t feel this pressure because he is focused on his goal which is to win races. And therefore I don’t have to do anything to protect him because there’s no need.”

Even Toto Wolff recently agreed to play a part in the pressure that is being built on Kimi Antonelli to perform. Let’s see what he had to say?

Toto Wolff Admits being one that Hyped Kimi Antonelli’s F1 Train

Do you recall the Oscar Piastri saga where Alpine prematurely announced his signing with the team when he actually was in talks with McLaren and later announced as a McLaren driver? Now the Australian is showing why he was so highly regarded. Once in a while, a driver of such caliber comes in with multiple F1 teams fighting for him. Kimi Antonelli is believed to be the next in line. However, Toto Wolff feels he should be allowed to do his thing in F2 this season and found himself guilty of putting the pressure on him.

Toto Wolff said, “We have been hyping the young man for a long time now. He will be a very good and a great driver one day in Formula 1, but he is 17. 14 months ago, he drove an F4 car and there’s so much expectations in Italy and we [are also] a little bit guilty also about talking about him at that stage. I think we should let him do his F2 thing and deliver results and not be too carried away with what could be or should be.”

Do you think Kimi Antonelli will be Lewis Hamilton’s replacement?