Antonelli's F2 Win: Walking on Water at Silverstone

Antonelli triumphs in F2, impressing Wolff and emulating F1 legends at Silverstone.

Toto Wolff believes it’s crucial for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a candidate for a Mercedes F1 seat next year, to experience Grand Prix from the inside. The triumphant return of Lewis Hamilton serves as an example for the young Italian F2 driver, according to the team director.

“I experienced the moment when we saw the greatest British driver training with us at the British Grand Prix, and in the garage, there was this young Italian who doesn’t have a driver’s license yet watching the scene, and I bet he thought ‘I want to be like him one day’,” said Wolff.

Antonelli won his first F2 race on Saturday during the Sprint Race, and Wolff was impressed: “Seeing him on Saturday walking on water, sometimes two seconds faster than anyone else, you can see the talent, capability, and potential of this young man. By winning this race, I think he has lifted a great weight off his shoulders.”

Unfortunately for him, Antonelli had qualified tenth for the main race and was eliminated in the first round by Kush Maini, who was deemed at fault by the stewards, while Wolff absolves his driver by blaming Maini: “It’s a retirement here but it’s not his fault. Susie always says that if you qualify with idiots, you race with idiots.”