Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli, 3rd
"It’s difficult to put into words what I’m feeling right now. I’m still trying to process it all, but to be able to say that I am world champion is just incredible. This is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. We’ve had an amazing season and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. From very early on, we had a strong car and were able to be consistent, and that gave us the belief that we could fight for the championship.
"I wouldn’t be here without this team and without all the people and partners who have supported me throughout my career. Mercedes has believed in me for so many years and given me this incredible opportunity, so to repay that trust by winning the World Championship together means so much. I also have to thank my family, my friends and everyone who has been there for me along the way.
"I definitely felt more tension coming into this weekend, knowing what was possible, so to get it done today is a huge relief and an amazing feeling. Finishing on the podium made it even more special and sharing it with Max (Verstappen) and Lewis (Hamilton) was really cool. We still have races to go and we want to finish the season strongly by clinching the Constructors’ Championship, but tonight we’re definitely going to enjoy this moment together as a team."
George Russell, 6th
"Firstly, congratulations to Kimi on a thoroughly deserved championship. He has done a fantastic job this season and can be incredibly proud of what he has achieved.
"Unfortunately, it was a very disappointing race on my side. I made a good start and was in a strong position, but then we suffered an issue which caused me to not have full deployment down the straight. That cost us a lot of positions and ultimately took us out of contention for a strong result. It’s frustrating to have the race compromised by something outside of my control but that is racing.
"We will reset after this weekend and look to come back stronger in Brazil. We still have a Constructors’ Championship to win and my full focus is on helping the team achieve that."
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"What Kimi has achieved today is extraordinary. To become Formula 1 World Champion at 20 years old, and to do it in only his second season, is a remarkable achievement. But what makes me most proud is not the record or the statistics, it is the journey he has been on to get here.
"There were difficult moments last year. There were people who questioned whether he was ready for Formula One and whether he deserved to be in a Mercedes. We always believed in his talent and knew those difficult experiences would make him stronger. To see the way he has responded this season, the confidence he has built and the level at which he is now performing is incredibly satisfying. We saw that maturity again today. He managed the first stint extremely well, stayed patient when the red flag took away the advantage he had created, and then made the move when he needed to after the restart. To deliver that performance with a World Championship on the line says a lot about him.
"We also have to acknowledge George. Today was another race where we didn’t give him the platform to show what he could do. The deployment issue at the start immediately compromised his afternoon and, although the incident and penalty made his race more difficult, he kept fighting and brought the car home in P6. There have been too many occasions this season where we have let George down, and he has deserved more from us. His contribution to what we have achieved this year has been immense, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that today.
"This is a tremendous moment for everyone at Brackley and Brixworth, and all those associated with the team. Championships are never won by one individual. There are so many people who have contributed, both here at the track and back at the factories, and they should all feel incredibly proud tonight. Thank you to Mercedes-AMG for their continued support, our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS and so many more. We all believed in Kimi from a very young age and today he is a Formula One World Champion. That is a very special moment for all of us."
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
"Congratulations to Kimi on his first World Championship. It was quite an eventful race, but he did a really good job managing the Soft tyre in the first stint and was able to run it beyond 40 laps. That gave us some useful options for the end of the race, although the red flag effectively reset things and removed the tyre advantage we had created. He restarted P4 but made a very good move on Leclerc to get back into the podium positions and drove a very controlled race from there to take P3 and the title.
"He has driven superbly across the season and the way he handled the race today, with everything that was at stake, was another demonstration of the progress he has made. It’s an incredible achievement for him and he should be rightly proud of himself.
"George had a difficult afternoon through no fault of his own. The deployment issue on the run to Turn 1 cost him several positions and put him on the back foot from the very start. From there, he was having to recover in traffic and the contact with Hadjar and subsequent penalty made that task harder. He kept his head down, showed good pace and fought back to P6. It’s frustrating because we didn’t give him the start to the race that he needed and that is on us as team.
"We have plenty to focus on as we head to Brazil We want to add the Constructors’ Championship to the Drivers’ title, and we know we still must deliver the performances to do that. We’ll enjoy today, then turn our attention very quickly to the next race."
