Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has warned his driver Kimi Antonelli against complacency, as he looks to steer the team towards two championship titles this year.

Mercedes have not won a championship double since the 2020 season, when Lewis Hamilton claimed his seventh drivers’ championship, and the team secured a seventh consecutive constructors’ title.

Now, Mercedes have a real chance of achieving that again, with Antonelli and George Russell both fighting for the drivers’ championship, and the team 76 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

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However, there is a threat from behind, with Hamilton and his Ferrari team resurgent as they hunt a first title of any kind since 2008.

Ferrari have won two of the last three grands prix, with Hamilton winning in Barcelona, before Charles Leclerc’s victory at the British Grand Prix last weekend.

With Antonelli failing to score points at Silverstone, it means that Hamilton is now just 32 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ championship.

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Antonelli under fire

Having won five consecutive grands prix between the Chinese GP and the Monaco GP in June, Antonelli was flying high in the drivers’ championship, 68 points ahead of team-mate Russell.

Since Monaco, however, he has scored just 23 points from three grand prix weekends, and is now only 25 points ahead of Russell.

Wolff has now warned him not to get complacent, reminding the young Italian that, as things stand, he is only a five-time grand prix winner, rather than a champion.

“We knew he needed a year to settle in and grow because Formula 1 is a completely different world than the smaller series,” Wolff told Gazzetta about Antonelli’s form. “He had to adapt to the car and learn to manage commitments with sponsors and the media.

“The goal was always to improve in his second season. And he did just that, driving at a very high level and achieving extraordinary results. Right now, he’s exceeding our wildest expectations, but he shouldn’t get complacent. Everyone is praising him, but I always ask him to maintain balance.

“We can’t compare him to Ayrton Senna, who won three titles and is one of the most iconic drivers of all time. Kimi won five races, so let’s let him grow.”

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