Wolff: People ‘don’t get’ what went into Antonelli’s success

Kimi Antonelli’s emergence as a Formula 1 title contender looks like a sudden breakthrough from the outside, but Toto Wolff is keen to remind everyone that Mercedes’ latest star has been years in the making.

The young Italian’s United States Grand Prix victory has brought him another step closer to the world title, and the odds of him making history next weekend in Mexico City are not shy high.

For all of Antonelli’s remarkable achievements in his second season among motorsport’s elite, Wolff is quick to redirect the credit towards the extensive network of people who identified, nurtured and supported Mercedes’ protégé long before he reached the F1 grid.

The Austrian insists the results now being celebrated are the culmination of a nine-year process involving talent development, technical education, family support and some decidedly uncomfortable moments along the way.

‘It wasn't an easy road’

Wolff rejected the idea that Antonelli’s success was the product of a single decision or an inspired gamble by Mercedes.

“First of all, thank you, but I wasn't the one responsible for it,” he said, when complimented on his driver’s exploits. “It was teamwork. It was our junior team around Gwen [Lagrue] that discovered him when he was 11, and credit to that group that have developed him over the many years.

“I read an interview of Piero Ferrari last week where he said, ‘What a talent!’

"He reminds him of Niki Lauda. And I'm thinking, people don't get that this is the work of nine years, the development of nine years, the hardship over nine years, the integration of the team, the working with the engineers, the 10 or more millions spent in the development of his career, of his ability, of his character, together with his parents, and it's just not that it landed like this.

“The many people that said last year after nine races without points he shouldn't be in a Mercedes. People that in other teams that said he shouldn't even be in Formula 1. The tears in Spa in Parc Ferme, and all of that.

“Now it's extremely satisfying to see what he's able to deliver, how he's working with the team, with Bono, and yielding the results. But it wasn't an easy road. So yeah, I'm happy that like you say, it’s 99.9 percent [tat he wins the championship].

“He still needs to finish the race in Mexico. So it's either going to be a big tequila party, or if it's not a tequila party, then it's going to be caipirinha the weekend afterwards…”

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The reference to Antonelli’s difficult rookie campaign last year was particularly pointed. Early struggles and a run of nine races without points did indeed lead to criticism of Mercedes’ decision to promote him, with some questioning whether he belonged in Formula 1 at all.

Now, with victories and a championship challenge to his name, those doubts have given way to a very different conversation. Wolff’s satisfaction, though, stems as much from seeing Antonelli overcome adversity as from watching him deliver on Sundays.

A champion’s mindset, built over time

Wolff has also been struck by Antonelli’s ability to approach the pressure of a title fight with an unusual degree of calm.

The Mercedes boss believes the arrival of new technical regulations this season may have helped the Italian, putting the entire field on unfamiliar ground rather than forcing a rookie to catch up with established habits.

“I think maybe it was his benefit that the regulations were all new,” he said.

“Last year he came in, and those cars existed for four years. The other drivers were used to it, and all new for everyone this year. And he just made it stick, with his mindset, with his easiness about approaching things.

“He's come to my office before getting ready, before getting dressed, and just sat down on that sofa and said, ‘I'm going to enjoy this one. And isn't it funny? I'm not thinking at all about the championship.’

“And I said, ‘Well, exactly. Stick to that attitude. You have the best job in the world. Don't forget that.’ So he has also the right mindset.”

• Read also: Russell left searching for answers after ‘rubbish’ United States GP

Even after more than three decades around racing drivers, Wolff admitted that Antonelli’s leap forward has left him searching for an explanation.

“It's been 30 or more years that I've tried to understand the racing driver's brains, and I still don't know what has happened over the winter,” Wolff admitted.

“His ability to process and deliver something that's outstanding, which we didn't see coming. But credit to him, credit to his engineers, to his environment, his family that he's delivered in that way.”

With Antonelli now on the brink of a historic achievement and moment, Wolff is careful not to celebrate prematurely. Mexico must still be negotiated before Mercedes can contemplate the party he has in mind.

But the wider message is already clear: the breakthrough may be happening now, yet the foundations were laid years ago, through investment, patience and a development programme that survived plenty of scepticism.

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