Wolff: 'Inconsistent' Mercedes car not helping Antonelli

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff isn't concerned about Andrea Kimi Antonelli's recent struggles, instead blaming an 'inconsistent car' for the teenager's poor run of form.

Antonelli initially impressed with his daring driving at the Australian Grand Prix, where he finished fourth, followed by a further two points finishes in China and Japan.

Unfortunately his form has dropped since then, with numerous retirements and non-points finishes to his name. A podium at the Canadian Grand Prix has been his only truly positive result in recent months.

The Italian driver has only 64 points to his name, 108 points behind his teammate George Russell (172). While he is only in his debut season in Formula 1, many expected better results from the teenager, who won many Championships in the junior categories.

Problems with the Mercedes Car

Wolff made the decision to replace seven-time World Champion with the rookie Antonelli, and thus is keen to protect the driver he helped bring to Mercedes.

The Mercedes boss believes that Antonelli's struggles are largely attributable to the W16's inconsistency from track to track.

He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Kimi is a huge talent: he’s fast, he’s intelligent.

"I said it right from the start: he’ll make mistakes, we know that, and we wouldn’t have taken him on if we weren’t aware of that.

"Unfortunately, we have an inconsistent car, which makes it more difficult for him to adapt. But going through these difficulties is also part of the process of becoming a champion.

By bringing his family into the equation, Wolff hopes that he is providing the right environment for Antonelli to extract the maximum out of himself and the car.

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He continued: "I think it’s a learning experience for all of us.

"We’ve never had such a young driver on the team, and in general, F1 has never had an 18-year-old in a top team.

"We’re all trying to work together, including his family, to create an environment that will allow Kimi to give his best on the track," Wolff concluded.

Issues with Qualifying

Antonelli himself is also aware that he is not at the level he should be. The fundamental issue seems to be in qualifying and one-lap pace.

The Mercedes driver told Auto Motor und Sport: "I’m still struggling to understand how much the car can deliver over a qualifying lap.

"You’re so close to the limit that it’s very easy to go a little over it. I’m still trying to find that fine line.

"The grip is extremely high in qualifying. You go into the corners so much faster than in the race. And on every lap, you think: ‘I can go even faster through this corner.’ I’m not yet at the point where I’m at the absolute limit on the first lap," stated Antonelli.

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