‘I promise you…’: Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff makes ‘not finished’ Kimi Antonelli assertion
Brackley’s Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team are refusing to get complacent despite Kimi Antonelli’s mammoth 81-point lead in the World Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insists Antonelli is avoiding thoughts over winning his maiden F1 title, instead focusing on one race at a time.
That might sound like a very media-trained answer, and, in truth, it is. But there appears to be some genuineness in Wolff’s statements as Antonelli is rarely flustered and has maintained incredible consistency so far this season.
The 20-year-old Italian clinched his eighth F1 victory at the new-for-2026 Madring last time out, riding the luck of the timing of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to claim maximum points for a second successive Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Mercedes teammate George Russell, who is Antonelli’s nearest title challenger, came home in a steady P5 behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
There are nine races still to go but that number could change depending on the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races, both still in doubt due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Whether it be nine, more or fewer, Antonelli is in a very strong position to become the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1952 and 1953.
Nonetheless, Wolff asserts Antonelli is doing a great job of batting away any outside noise.
“I promise you he's not thinking about it,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
“The way this kid is able to compartmentalise and be the young kid and then get into the car and be the mature racing driver…
“That's why if Kimi says to himself, 'I'm not thinking about the championship, he's not thinking about the championship.”
It’s not just Antonelli maintaining tunnel vision, but rather everyone around him as they make every effort to block out distractions.
“We are also trying, the parents and myself and the team, saying this is not finished,” Wolff continued.
“There are black swan events, they can come and you're losing something out of your hand when you didn't think it was possible to lose.
“So, he's not going to think about it.”
Mercedes’ Antonelli and Russell are next in action at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with lights out at 12pm UK time on Saturday, September 26.