Kimi Antonelli stuns with qualifying speed, but Toto Wolff warns Mercedes must improve tyre management to challenge McLaren over race distance.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff was impressed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s raw pace in Miami, calling his one-lap speed “brilliant” after the young Italian clinched Sprint pole and qualified third for the main race.
But while his qualifying performance turned heads, Wolff made it clear there’s still work to do when it comes to race management.
“Kimi’s speed over a single lap was outstanding. It’s another clear sign of his talent and a strong glimpse of what he could become in the future,” Wolff said.
“But during the race, it’s a different challenge, especially here in Miami, where finding the right reference points is tough.”
Antonelli struggled during the race stints, particularly on the medium tyres, where teammate George Russell was able to keep close on a harder compound.
Antonelli’s Tyre Learning Curve
Wolff pointed out that switching to hard tyres exposed Antonelli’s lack of experience in tire management.
“He just didn’t quite have the knowledge yet to handle the hard compound properly,” Wolff explained.
“Bono [race engineer Pete Bonnington] was trying to guide him, but once you’re out there, it’s never easy. It’s all part of the learning curve. Nothing to be disappointed about, overall, I think he did a solid job.”
Wolff also admitted that Mercedes, as a team, still struggles over longer stints, especially compared to McLaren, who’ve shown strong consistency throughout the season.
“Our car is very quick over a lap or two, absolutely where it needs to be. But we fall behind on tyre longevity. McLaren is setting the benchmark there,” Wolff said.
“Red Bull and Max [Verstappen] still manage tricky situations well, but McLaren’s ability to stay fast through corners without overheating tyres is something we have to learn from.”
Looking ahead, Wolff is confident that upcoming upgrades will help Mercedes close the gap and eventually go head-to-head with McLaren.
“The car performs in qualifying, which shows we’ve got the pace. But races are where the points are won, and we haven’t yet figured out how to carry that speed across a full stint. That’s where we need to improve,” he said.
“We’re fully focused on understanding what matters most in terms of development, where we need to invest our energy. We’re in it, we’re experimenting, and I’m sure we’ll be in a position to challenge McLaren soon.”
Mercedes Rookie Learns Painful Pirelli Lesson in Miami
Kimi Antonelli wasn’t satisfied with his race pace in Miami, driving the Mercedes Formula 1 car.
While he said the medium tires felt “good,” the pace just wasn’t there. George Russell had no trouble keeping up, even though he was on the slower hard compound.
When Antonelli switched to hard tires himself, things got worse. He quickly reported a lack of grip to his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, and his performance dipped.
Mercedes’ technical director James Allison believes Miami highlighted how much Antonelli still needs to learn about managing Pirelli tires, and that’s perfectly natural.
“It was tough to judge how hard to push the tires in Miami,” said Allison.
“If you push too hard, they overheat and degrade too fast. But if you’re too gentle, they don’t hit their optimal grip window.”
Kimi, still at the start of his F1 journey, struggled to find that balance.
“He’s very young and only a few races into his career. These ups and downs are part of the process. It can be frustrating, but it’s normal.”
Allison remains optimistic:
“What we’re seeing from Kimi in terms of progress is really encouraging. These are valuable learning experiences for him, and they’ll pay off in the years ahead.”
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