Toto Wolff says Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s crash on his Mercedes debut in Italian Grand Prix observe can have “zero” affect on who the group determine to switch Lewis Hamilton with subsequent season.
The 18-year-old Italian’s first F1 session got here to an abrupt and early finish as he misplaced management of the W15 at Parabolica throughout Follow One and shunted into the barrier.
Mercedes are anticipated to substantiate Antonelli sooner or later in the course of the weekend as George Russell’s team-mate for 2025, with Hamilton leaving to hitch Ferrari.
Requested in a press convention following the session if the crash would affect his determination, Mercedes group principal Wolff stated: “No, zero impact.
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Toto Wolff backs Antonelli regardless of the teenager crashing into the boundaries at Monza
“I think most important is to hire based on ability. An FP1 that’s gone wrong is not the reason why you decide for or against a driver.”
Wolff described Antonelli’s tempo throughout his transient time on observe as “astonishing”. He momentarily topped the timesheet after his first lap, then set the quickest center sector on the time on his second lap simply earlier than the crash.
Requested by Sky Sports activities F1 if the incident had proven it was “too soon” for Antonelli, Wolff replied: “Undoubtedly not.
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Lewis Hamilton believes Antonelli could be an important choice to fill the seat at Mercedes forward of his departure for Ferrari
“It’s great. He’s a pleasure to watch. You can see the raw speed that he has. Going out there, blasting first lap, second lap. I think the speeds that he had in the Lesmo and Ascari were not matched any more in the session.”
“I’d rather slow somebody down and calm him down than the other way around to make somebody quicker because the second one is not possible. So that’s part of the learning curve.”
‘Lesson discovered!’ – Antonelli sorry after crash
Antonelli had been scheduled to handle the media after second observe however his look was cancelled, with Mercedes as a substitute sharing a recorded message from the motive force.
He swiftly returned to motion in F2 qualifying after the crash, finally ending sixth having topped the timesheet up till the closing moments of the session.
He stated: “What a day. First FP1 done. Unfortunately, it ended quite quickly because of the crash. It was quite a big one, around 52gs.
Toto Wolff consoled Antonelli following the incident
“I’m really sorry to the team and George for making them work afterwards. Just a mistake by my side. Just pushing a bit too much for the conditions.
“I ought to have constructed the run a bit extra progressively. However positively lesson discovered for subsequent time.
“I’m still really thankful to the team for making this possible and still great to see all the tifosi out there, and to get the first laps with all the drivers on track.
“I am not feeling tremendous properly for the time being. Simply going to return and attempt to relaxation and attempt to focus for the remainder of the weekend as a result of there’s nonetheless some racing to go and we will nonetheless attempt to get a very good outcome.”
No plans to carry ahead Antonelli’s subsequent F1 outing
Mercedes have been trying to want Antonelli for the step up from Formulation 2 with a programme together with the testing of the group’s outdated vehicles and appearances in F1 observe classes.
The overall expectation was that Antonelli would additionally seem in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, and Wolff rejected a suggestion that {the teenager}’s return to motion could possibly be introduced ahead with the intention to give him an opportunity to recover from his Monza crash.
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Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell face odd distractions throughout second observe on the Italian Grand Prix together with laughing and unfastened nuts!
Wolff stated: “No, I think a strong driver needs to recover from these things and cope with the pressure.
“Clearly, this week it wasn’t simple for him. He nonetheless must compete in F2. You could have all these shenanigans round you in Monza, Italian child that is been hyped, first time in a Mercedes – and that should be a heavy burden.
“But if he wants to be a champion one day, he needs to cope with that. And I have no doubt that he can and he will.”
Wolff stated that he didn’t really feel any responsible for over-hyping Antonelli, however admitted that the Italian could be feeling “terrible” after the incident.
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Antonelli secured a formidable first-ever F2 function race win on the Hungarian Grand Prix
“I think the circumstances are guilty,” Wolff stated. “In our industry we perfectly understand who is capable and not.
“The way it’s all panned out, he is jumped F3, he is just about received every thing earlier than… after which it is clear you begin to turn into a Mercedes driver, you check in FP1, on the similar time you are beneath the magnifying glass as a result of all of it occurs in Monza and it has been some time since an Italian driver was in a high group.
“So I’m sure that this can be a lot for an 18-year-old. But I said before that he needs to swim and to take these days that are so difficult, like it is for him at the moment – it feels certainly terrible – and that’s part of the development curve.”
Brundle: Antonelli’s confidence might be broken
Sky Sports activities F1’s Martin Brundle stated Antonelli’s confidence could be “damaged” by the incident.
“It was the last thing he or the team needed,” Brundle stated. “They haven’t got any data, the car’s damaged, his confidence will be damaged.
“Mercedes wish to current him because the star of the long run. He pushed very, very laborious early on. He’d simply gone purple within the second sector, fractionally forward of Lewis, and he was anticipating an excessive amount of, too quickly.
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Highlights from Friday’s first observe session on the Italian Grand Prix
“Obviously got in and there was not enough grip for the speed that he was carrying.
“It is such a disgrace. I like his confidence however he wanted to play himself in considerably extra rigorously than that.”
Talking earlier than Antonelli returned to motion in F2 Qualifying afterward Friday, Brundle stated the teenager’s response to the incident could be telling.
“If he’s, as we’re told, sort of (Michael) Schumacher, (Ayrton) Senna, Max Verstappen level, it will just bounce off,” he stated.
“I’ll never forget watching Michael Schumacher smash up Nelson Piquet’s Benetton, and we were like, ‘right, now we’ll see how good Michael Schumacher is.’ He got back in his own one and his next lap was the fastest of anybody, because he had that supreme inner confidence to go with his talent.
“We’ll discover out whether or not younger Antonelli is similar.”
Sky Sports activities F1’s reside Italian GP schedule
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Look again at a number of the most dramatic moments to have taken place on the Italian Grand Prix
Saturday August 31
8.25am: F3 Dash
11.15am: Italian GP Follow Three (session begins 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Dash
2.15pm: Italian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Pocket book
Sunday September 1
7:30am: F3 Function Race
9am: F2 Function Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: The ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP response
5pm: Ted’s Pocket book
*additionally reside on Sky Sports activities Primary Occasion
The 2024 Formulation 1 season continues with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this weekend, reside on Sky Sports activities F1. Stream each F1 race and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime
