Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has suggested that his blunt verdict on Kimi Antonelli’s performance in Monza may have been just what the young driver needed.
After calling the Monza weekend “underwhelming,” Wolff says that the comment may have “lit a fire under the a***” of the rookie.
Wolff’s criticism came after a difficult Italian Grand Prix weekend for Antonelli, during which he ended up beached in the gravel in one session and then put in an overall performance Wolff described as “underwhelming.”
He made clear, though, that the tough assessment doesn’t diminish his faith in the driver’s future.
“It doesn’t change anything on my support and confidence in his future, because I believe he’s going to be very, very, very good,” Wolff said.
Signs of progress after Monza
Since Monza, Antonelli has shown signs of recovery. Wolff pointed to better weekends in Baku and Singapore as evidence of growth.
Wolff admitted that the European leg of the season had brought heavy attention and pressure on Antonelli, contributing to the strain on his performances.
“Since Baku I think we’ve seen a lot of big focus. Certainly Europe hasn’t helped, because there was so much attention on him and expectations were so high.
“I feel like he has less work outside, in terms of media duties and sponsorship duties, and he’s spending all of his time with his engineering team and that’s good,” said the Austrian.