Rosberg surprised by Wolff's ‘change of tone’ toward Antonelli

Sky F1 consultant Nico Rosberg has expressed surprise at a shift in tone from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who recently criticized young driver Kimi Antonelli following a challenging Italian Grand Prix weekend.

After an incident-packed Dutch Grand Prix, Antonelli faced another tough outing at Monza. The 19-year-old Italian dropped from sixth on the grid to eighth during the race, before a five-second penalty for forcing Alex Albon off the track pushed him down to ninth in the final classification.

Wolff, who had shown up to last weekend considerable leniency towards Mercedes’ teenage protégé, described the weekend as “underwhelming,” marking a notable change in his usually measured public comments.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 Show podcast, Rosberg acknowledged the surprising nature of Wolff’s remarks.

"It's a surprising one, because at the moment, the only choice you really have is to just give Kimi the most time possible in the most calm way possible, and that means also not criticising him publicly,” commented the 2016 F1 world champion.

"And so this change of tone from Toto for the first time ever… usually there's a reason behind it.”

A Calculated Discourse?

Rosberg suggested that Wolff’s unexpected critique might be a strategic move.

“Roto is very calculated in his comments. Perhaps he's wanting to put some pressure on Kimi and his family to try a different approach, modify their approach, review their approach,” he added.

Despite the criticism, Rosberg emphasized Antonelli’s undeniable talent, while also acknowledging the challenges he is facing:

"But the fact of the matter is, Kimi is a generational talent, we all know that, but it's more difficult for him than we all thought so far,” he argued. “And it's a bit strange that it's still so difficult.

“If you look at the statistics in racing, its 19-0 to George, and in qualifying it's 17-2 to George, and if you put in mistakes, it would be like 15-1, probably.

“It's a really hard one, an unfortunate one, because we all want him to go well, he can go well, we know that. But the clock starts to tick at some point also, it's a tough one."

Contract Clarity Could Help

Wolff has indicated that Mercedes intends to continue with both George Russell and Antonelli next season, though official deals have yet to be finalized.

Rosberg stressed the importance of securing contracts sooner rather than later, particularly for Antonelli’s confidence.

"I said that a couple of weeks or months ago even, give him the contract, because you need to give him whatever you can at the moment, just to help him with his confidence,” he said.

“Anyway, in F1, you know that worst, worst case, you can still get out of that then during the winter. Obviously you don't have to say that now, but I would also consider that."

For now, all eyes remain on Antonelli as he works to translate his potential into consistent results – while navigating the pressures of being a teenage talent in one of the most competitive sports on the planet.

Read also: Wolff calls out Antonelli after ‘underwhelming’ Monza weekend

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