Toto Wolff says the win-at-all-costs racing driver is finished, and Kimi Antonelli is his proof. The Mercedes team principal made that case on Sunday in Mexico City, after the 20-year-old clinched the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ title with a third-place finish at the Mexico City GP. Wolff delivered the message at the end of his post-race media briefing, without anyone asking for it.
In appreciation of his young driver’s mentality, Wolff said: “This notion of win at all costs, selfish, opportunistic, ruthless for your own benefit, that model of racing driver has died. We have a new champion that represents values like humility, like integrity, loyalty, respect, being himself.”
Antonelli finished behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and locked up the championship with four races to spare. At 20 years and 68 days old, he beat Sebastian Vettel’s age record by three years. He is also the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Wolff Holds Up Kimi Antonelli as a Role Model for the Whole Grid
Wolff didn’t stop at praise. He said Antonelli “should be a role model for many other young drivers in junior formulas, and should be a role model for the few entitled ones in F1, the endless moaners on the radio, the ones that complain, the ones that crash.”
Wolff named no one specifically. Elsewhere on the track, Ferrari teammates Hamilton and Charles Leclerc fought on the opening lap, while Antonelli stayed out of the chaos on his way to a third-place result.
Wolff then turned to the champion’s age. “Look at this kid of 20 years, and then think what you can do in order to improve,” he said. “That’s the message to these kids.”
He said he, the FIA, himself, and leaders like Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali want future drivers to carry themselves that way. “That is modern F1,” Wolff said. “Kimi represents the modern F1 driver because of those values, not only because of his talent.”
Wolff argued that talent alone doesn’t set a driver apart. “The talent is there in everyone,” he said. “But you’ve got to be a good person too, and he has demonstrated that you can beat everyone out there by being a good person.”
From Doubted Rookie to Youngest Champion Ever
Antonelli’s first words as champion came through tears on the radio. He shouted “we did it,” parked his Mercedes in the Foro Sol stadium section and jumped into the arms of his parents and younger sister, Maggie. Wolff greeted him with a huge bear hug.
Antonelli later said he couldn’t see through his tears on the final lap. “A day I will remember forever,” he said. Verstappen and Hamilton then lifted him onto their shoulders on the podium.
Wolff told Sky Sports F1 that people kept asking why Mercedes put the kid in the car. His answer: “THIS is Kimi Antonelli!”
The doubt was loud. Two sponsors left Mercedes when it promoted Antonelli, and last year brought nine races without a point and tears at Spa. Wolff said the choice felt instinctive after Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari, and he called it “a calculated risk, not a real risk.”
Wolff said teammate George Russell was distraught after the race. Russell finished sixth after serving a 10-second penalty for a first-lap collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. Wolff still pointed to Russell’s response. “It was a great show of sportsmanship to go and see Kimi.”
Antonelli can now switch to the champion’s number 1. He won’t, and says he is keeping his 12 out of superstition and humility. Next up is the São Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, where he plans to wear a tribute helmet for Ayrton Senna. Senna is the hero who inspired the number.
More F1 Reading
- F1 Rivals Salute Kimi Antonelli as He Clinches Title With Four Races to Spare
- Mercedes Fined $5,589 After George Russell Leaves Mexican GP Without Speaking to Press
- ‘I Will Need Time To Digest’: Fred Vasseur Furious After Ferrari’s First 2026 Pole Ends in Costly Mexico Clash
- Max Verstappen Takes Dig at Ferrari’s Infighting After Winning From Fifth in Mexico
Comments
More in News
F1 Rivals Salute Kimi Antonelli as He Clinches Title With Four Races to Spare
Mercedes Fined $5,589 After George Russell Leaves Mexican GP Without Speaking to Press
‘I Will Need Time To Digest’: Fred Vasseur Furious After Ferrari’s First 2026 Pole Ends in Costly Mexico Clash
Max Verstappen Takes Dig at Ferrari’s Infighting After Winning From Fifth in Mexico
